Putting the Cat in Catastrophe
by 1337kitsune
Summary: Danny Fenton just escaped a testing facility and runs into Andrew Riter - a rude man who is obsessed with helping a stray cat. Danny's the cat. Danny wants to return to his family and find his lost memories, but he's having trouble doing so when he doesn't want to leave Andrew's side. He can't tell anyone his secret, but he wants to trust this man. Badly. (Iambic Prose) (AU)
1. Chapter 1

Bonjour, mes chers! Aha, so... Where to begin with this one? People have been asking me to continue TCC for quite a while now and, being myself, I decided to rewrite the story. If you want to mentally slap me then that's perfectly acceptable and I encourage you to do so if it helps. Now, a few quick things to get out of the way!

If you're a Patron of mine then you can find a link to all the old chapters - and even notes of what I wanted to do! - on my at **mjanderson**! You can pledge as little as a dollar a month and get access to a bunch of cool things.

Second, this is based off a old prompt I found forever ago. The original story was meant to be 10k words tops. You see now who that's turned out. The original prompt:

 _Character A is a shapeshifter and they can shift into animals such as a dog, cat, snake etc., but A's shifting abilities are a secret since they were abused in their last home. That's when B finds them on the streets as their animal form, sick and hurt and far too weak to be in human form. B takes A in, thinking they're a normal pet, and takes care of them for months on end until they're perfectly healthy, but once A is healthy they still don't tell B in fear they will leave._

Lastly,

 **Warning** : This story will have references to laboratory testing, mentions of vivisections, blood, wounds, character trauma, and things of a similar sort. Most mentions of such things will be vague, but there will be heavy mentions of it and warnings at the beginning of chapters when it gets explicit.

Remember to check my tumblr at ibelieveinahappilyeverafter for updates and new things, as well!

* * *

It could be said that how a person's day went was largely determined by their mood and their personal worldview. With such an outlook, it would be correct in saying that if you looked upon the day with a cheery smile and attitude, then you would have a happy day no matter what bad things befell you.

Andrew Riter would like nothing more than to punch the face of whoever had said that. Preferably with a knife, but a regular punch and kick to the balls would work just as well, he was certain.

See, Andrew would readily admit that he wasn't that optimistic of a person - in fact, he was usually downright sour to people and for good reason. He dealt with enough stupidity at work and school, he didn't need it in his daily life. There was a reason he avoided social contact as best he could. He still did his best to enjoy his days and take them one at a time, of course, but that was very difficult when his day had become a giant shitshow.

It started, as always, when he woke up to nothing but wonderful peace and quiet. That was very bad since it meant his alarm hadn't gone off. A look to his piece of shit alarm clock had showed he only had an hour to get ready for work. It wasn't the best, but at least he hadn't slept _through_ the start of his shift. Which, that was fine. It could have been a still okay day since it meant he got more sleep, but, no.

He quickly found out his depression and anxiety medication were completely empty. Completely as in there was a post-it note reminding him to refill the damn things, but he hadn't, so screw his past self. The day could have been saved by a good cup of morning coffee and a muffin or two, but his cabinets were dismally empty and the only thing in his refrigerator that wasn't expired were some eggs and milk. He hated dairy. As for the new bag of coffee he got… He grabbed the wrong one last time he was at the store.

So with a horribly cold shower because the water in his apartment sucked, Andrew had gone out the door and had been five seconds away from a full blown panic attack because of the _fucking_ espresso coffee he bought that existed for the sole reason of people hating themselves. It may not have been as bad if he hadn't been stopped on the stairwell _three_ times by his neighbors.

Vidya, his sadistic landlord who he was absolutely certain was a witch of some sort due to the fact she always smelled of plants and wore a lot of black and green and had _grey hair when she was thirty_ , had wanted to discuss that month's rent and was not assured by Andrew telling her - quite often - that his paycheck would be coming in just a few days and could she please stop threatening eviction when she never went through with it? Either commit or don't, but stop acting like his life wasn't in her hands, _honestly_.

He had then been stopped on the second floor by Sam who had spent almost half an hour screaming at him over the ethics of animal testing. Sam was a childhood friend who had 'coincidentally' wound up in the same apartment as him and tended to dress on the more vampire side of goth. The black hair fooled no one when the roots were so quick to fade back to blonde. Ugh. She also had this _thing_ about animal testing. Andrew was of the opinion that he didn't care at all and Sam seemed to think him a monster for not caring about - what even had she been upset about this time? Eyeliner on bunnies? Andrew couldn't care less. Actually, he probably _could_ care less! This was him! Not caring!

Oh and then _Tucker_. Tucker, another 'coincidental' childhood friend and certifiable genius when it came to mechanics and computers and looked like a nerd straight from the 80s or early 90s, had stopped him five feet from the door and spent _thirty minutes_ trying to talk to him about theoretical physics. Andrew was just trying to get his Associate in Arts and then transfer to a nice four-year to study Creative Writing - maybe Journalism if he got curious and or desperate enough. He was not killing himself with a double major in Engineering and Physics or whatever the hell it was Tucker did. Of course, that did nothing to stop the 'genius' from talking his ear off. By the time he got outside to his bus stop the bus had been gone for twenty minutes and his shift started in ten. His job was fifteen minutes away by _car_.

Needless to say, that left Andrew very cranky and running through alleyways and down not so safe streets as he tried to take shortcuts in whatever way he could in order to get to the library he worked at on time. Three minutes of trying to find the right street and proving he had just circled a block and wasted time almost sent him to tears before he heard his phone buzzing with a familiar ringtone.

Taking a breath, and trying not to hysterically laugh at the 'Werewolves of London' song he now had playing and couldn't figure out how to change, Andrew clicked accept call and tried to stay calm. Focused. Peaceful. "Bonjour, grand frère."

" _What did you do and what do I need to fix_?" Rude. Randy had called _him_ , thank you very much. " _Andy, you only call me that when you want something or you're about to have a nervous breakdown. Are you about to have a nervous breakdown- Shit, you took your meds this morning, didn't you_?" Dammit.

"I'm not screwed up enough to forget my meds, thanks." How did his brother _always_ manage to call right when he was feeling at his worst or when he ran out of his pills? He was pretty sure the man had him bugged. It wouldn't surprise him. He took overprotective to whole new levels. "Why did you call me?"

" _Lunch_!" Oh. It was one of their lunch days, wasn't it? " _Our lunch breaks should align today, so I figured we could meet up at our usual place around then_?" It was ridiculous that Andrew could hear the 'are you okay' hidden in those words.

"Lunch sounds fine." Randy was annoying, but he had this ridiculous way of making Andrew find a reason to not just curl into a ball and never wake up. He also made Andrew feel better about his own wreck of a life considering the messes he got himself into. "You're paying, Mr. $82,000 a year."

" _Hey, I'm not that good of a vet yet and I'm still paying off student loan debts_!" Feeling a small smile on his face, Andrew sighed softly. Randy somehow always made it okay again. He would die before telling that to his face, of course, but still. " _I'll meet you in a few hours. Try not to get lost in your books, Andy_."

"Try not to flirt with the owners of your patients, Randy." Honestly, his decision to become a veterinarian had come out of left field, but Andrew couldn't deny he did a good job. "Especially that one you're so fond of. Now, what was his name… It started with an N?"

" _Bye, love you, gotta go_!" The call disconnected and Andrew gave in to the urge to laugh. Seeing the time, his laugh quickly fell and, right, he should at least call in to let the library know he was going to be a _little_ bit late. Of course - _of course_ \- he got four rings in before his phone died. Because _apparently_ his phone hadn't charged from the night before even though Andrew had _unplugged_ it this morning.

And as if the gods had somehow heard of his day and decided he needed to suffer even more, the clouds above him rumbled with the menacing beats of thunder and lightning cracked against the sky like a jagged edge of a wound. It took only a second for Andrew to realize he was fucked and two for the rain to begin falling.

Within fifteen minutes he was late, soaked, and felt as if he had offended some minor deity over something or other - or maybe it was Vidya making him suffer for being behind on his rent. Mm. Maybe he had broken a mirror or spilled some salt, actually. That sounded like his kind of luck. Heh. Maybe it was divine punishment. He obviously hadn't suffered enough for what he had done, right?

By the time he got to the library he was pretty sure his clothes were ruined and he would never be dry again. At least he could get inside and clean up in the bathroom before sitting himself right over a heating vent and sorting books. It was a nice, quiet library and it was raining like it wouldn't stop for forty days. He was sure the owner wouldn't mind. In fact, he could even… He… He could stare at the locked doors and dark windows.

Gaze caught on the white notice posted to the main door, Andrew could only stare, utterly speechless. It was Memorial Day. They were closed on Memorial Day. Andrew had just walked for what was probably close to thirty minutes _in the rain_ and… And… At least he wasn't late. That was great. That was fucking _fantastic_.

Shoving a hand in his bag to see if he had some magical solution that would fix all of his problems, Andrew stared at the purple umbrella that came out and began mocking him at once. He stared for what felt like an eternity before he clicked the button and ducked into the alleyway. Sitting down on a set of side steps that led to an unstable backdoor, Andrew propped the umbrella up over him and stared at the red brick wall across from him.

It wasn't even noon, yet, and his day was completely ruined and shot all to hell. The worst part was that this wasn't even the first time this had happened - maybe the exact circumstances were, but getting screwed over by life? No, no, Andrew was very familiar with getting screwed over.

Glasses fogged up, breath still short from his running, and soaked through to the bone, Andrew could only bury his face into his hands and make a noise that he hoped was closer to a groan than a sob. It was always like this. Life built up to where he couldn't handle the strain, everything came crashing down around him, and he shattered. Eventually he would put himself back together, but it kept feeling like it was harder and harder to be able to do that.

A clash of thunder and lightning and gust of wind had him trying to bite down another sob/groan. Of all the things he expected to happen next in his life, it wasn't to hear an answering hiss to his own pathetic noise.

Head jerking up, Andrew stared down at the pathetic scrap of fur that sat in front of him, just as soaked and just as pissed as he felt himself - although the scrap of fur looked to be as broken as Andrew probably looked. Staring for a moment, Andrew huffed and looked at the black cat with a wry smile, "Bonjour, chat noir. Are you the cause of my bad luck today, then?"

At least animals didn't judge you for speaking French first instead of English, he mused. Sighing, Andrew fixed his glasses, trying to see. He had given up wiping them off after the first few minutes of the rain storm. "Would you like to add to today's woes, then? I'm sure there's nothing else you can do to me, at this point, but you're welcome to try."

There was a rumbling little growl that sounded utterly pathetic, Andrew huffing out a laugh as he stared at the mangy thing. No doubt the cat was covered with fleas, ticks, and other unsavory bugs. The ribs poking out showed he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks - maybe months. Poor thing probably wouldn't make it through the night.

Tilting his umbrella forward, Andrew propped his cheek up on his hand - elbow balanced on his knee - as the fabric kept anymore rainwater from getting on the cat. "There you go. Might as well. Not like I can get much more wet myself." The rain was freezing as hell, of course, so Andrew was being a complete idiot by doing this for a cat that looked ready to claw his eyes out. Ugh. Why did he have to pity small, tiny things?

The cat grumbled and stared at Andrew hard before leaning forward and giving as quick a headbutt to Andrew's leg as he could, Andrew amused to see that the cat looked disgruntled at even that much. "You've had a very hard life, haven't you?" The meow sounded like utter, _sarcastic_ agreement. Maybe Andrew was projecting. "I know what that's like, petit chaton. Would you like to hear about my cursed day?"

So, of course, Andrew spent the next however long telling a _cat_ about how terrible his day had been. The cat seemed to be an attentive audience, at least, nodding along and making little rumbling noises close to a purr as he said something particularly witty. Andrew wasn't sure if that was meant to be amusement or a reprimand- A cat. He was projecting emotions onto a cat. He _had_ fallen far, hadn't he?

"I imagine your story is much more interesting, though." Andrew stared down at the mangy little stray, the cat staring back up at him before jumping up into his lap. Andrew scrambled to keep the thing from falling and not dropping the umbrella, calming his racing pulse down. "A warning would have been nice, you know."

The cat meowed with what sounded like derision, Andrew huffing and ready to argue before going utterly still and silent as bright blue eyes caught onto him own. "I didn't know black cats had such bright eyes." The cat only settled down tiredly, looking utterly exhausted, but those eyes… No. No, it had been years and it was time to get over it. Happy endings like those in his books didn't exist in this world. The sooner he realized that days like this one were the norm, the better off he would be. After all, you couldn't get disappointed when you expected the worst, right?

But, still. Andrew couldn't stop himself from threading his fingers through the small creature's fur, the threat of tears starting to fade. The fur was rather soft even with the rainwater that drenched them. Actually the storm was starting to lessen into a drizzle.

Leaning back against the unstable backdoor, Andrew sighed and closed his eyes, biting his lip as his fingers tightened on the fur. Black fur with blue eyes. That… "You know, I like to think that black cats are actually lucky." It wasn't possible - it _wasn't_ \- but… It wouldn't hurt him anymore to keep hoping, right?

Just one last time.


	2. Chapter 2

Bonjour, mes chers! Here is, finally, the second chapter of TCC! I'll be trying to get the advanced chapters up on my Patr(e)on tonight, so keep an eye out and remember pledging a little as a dollar can unlock great bonus content!

Consider supporting me to see more stories like this one! $29/100 down for the podfic goal!

Pledge to me at mjanderson on Patr(e)on  
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 **Warnings** for: Laboratory testing, mentions of vivisections and dissections (nothing physical shown on screen), and references to bleeding

* * *

He had once heard that an optimistic outlook could make even the worst day into a great one. He heard that as long as you faced the day with a smile and didn't let it break you, no matter what was happening, it would get better. The smile would become real and the day would be good no matter what bad things happened.

Danny Fenton would really like to scratch the eyes out of whoever the _fuck_ had said that. He would settle for biting, of course, but scratching the eyes out seemed like a reasonable reaction to a pile of garbage like _that_.

Look, the point was that Danny was having a very difficult night- Day? Morning? He wasn't sure what time it was exactly, but the last twenty-four hours had been _hell_. It was to the point that he was curled up in a stranger's lap and that was the _normal_ part of the day. Danny was tired, exhausted, hurt, and he was pretty sure he should be biting and scratching the guy who was bawling his eyes out in an alleyway, but judging by his story his day was going about as well as Danny's.

So, here he was. Sitting on the lap of a guy who was probably trying to pretend that was rainwater on his cheeks and not tears. Danny kind of felt bad for the guy. Or, he would, if he wasn't- Ugh. It had been a _day_. Black cats were nowhere _near_ lucky and Danny had the proof to back it all up!

"You've had a very tough life, haven't you?" The man's voice was quiet - almost as if he was afraid of being heard. Danny could sympathize. Sighing and collapsing further into the man's touch, Danny frowned as he felt a purr rumble out of him.

' _You have no idea_.' His life had been one giant shitstorm of one bad thing after another, but that morning - last night? - had been the worst one yet. It had started out hopeful, too.

::

"It's already been another year?" Danny looked in surprise at the chocolate bar that was held in front of him, taking it quickly when it was almost pulled away. "Hey, hey, I'm not complaining!"

"All you do is complain to me." Yeah, to _Vlad_ , and that was because Vlad was the only scientist that wasn't completely insane and put in requests to vivisection him. "Five years since you arrived."

"Five years of torture," Danny snorted, tearing the packaging open with his teeth and taking a large bite at once, beaming at the taste. It had been an entire _year_ since he last had something chocolate. "Five years of nothing but this place."

"Hey." Vlad pushed the chocolate bar down before he could take another bite, Danny frowning as he looked into the stare that wasn't quite disappointment, but also wasn't quite reproachful. "You're doing better."

"Yeah, I can remember my childhood bed and my favorite cartoon. Big progress." Taking another big bite, Danny glared at Vlad in defiance. Vlad just rolled his eyes as he began taking Danny's vitals. "Yeah, wow, so much has changed from my last torture session."

"Hush. You know they don't like when you use that word." Yeah, cause Danny was just a little too _human_ for them. At least, he usually was. "You seem to be doing well with the new regime they put you on."

"Doesn't feel like it. I'm still getting the cold and heat flashes every few hours." All Vlad did was offer him a weak smile - that was all he _could_ do right now. "'S fine, I'll get used to it like all the other stuff."

"Ye… Yes." Oh, no, Danny did _not_ like the way Vlad said that. He was also being given a second chocolate bar which meant _bad news_. Vlad, the dick, waited until his mouth was full of chocolate to speak again. "You're leaving tonight."

It took a good ten seconds for Danny to stop himself from choking and swallow the bite in his mouth, gasping for breath and, " _What_?!" There was no way- "You're joking. That's cruel- Even for you that's cruel."

"I'm not joking, Daniel." He wasn't joking. He wasn't… Five years. Danny had been here five years and he- He couldn't remember the before, so it was fine, right? This was all he knew so it was _fine_. Not good, but he was surviving. Yeah, sure, okay, he wanted to stop all the pain and shit, but… "You're seventeen, you've been here five years, and they've learned all they can from you while you're alive."

"What… What do you mean while I'm _alive_?" He'd been here since he was twelve and five years wasn't enough to learn _everything_ about him, right? "Vlad, what do you mean-"

"They've studied your body as much as they can while keeping it working, Daniel. What do you think happens when they've performed all the vivisections they need?" Vlad's voice was hard and rough, the man clutching at his clipboard and looking ready to break it in half. "What's the difference between a vivisection and an autopsy?"

"The first one is for subjects that are alive and the second is for- Oh." They were going to kill him. They were going to see just how everything worked when they had all the time in the world to pick him apart and study him. "When?"

"Tonight." Silent, Danny stared down at his chocolate, one wrapper empty and the other still having near a full chocolate bar.

"Kind of a dick move considering it's my birthday and all." They were going to kill him. They were going to kill him and there was nothing- Leaving. "You're serious."

"As much as you like to cast disparities upon my character, I don't want to see a child die in front of me." Resisting the urge to argue about the child bit, Danny quietly took another bite of chocolate. "Will it make you feel better if I told you I've been working on this plan for four years, now?"

"Four years? But that's…" That was when Vlad was assigned as his caretaker within the labs. He was the one in charge of making sure he didn't die in his sleep, basically. Four years would have meant that Vlad had been working on this plan since the beginning - since they had first _met_. "You didn't even know me back then. I was nothing but a subject."

"Please." Vlad gave him the look he usually did when Danny was being an idiot. "You were thirteen years old and you cried quietly when they first brought you to me. Children don't cry quietly unless they've given up."

"To be fair, thirteen isn't a child at that point," Danny grumbled, finishing off his chocolate bar and dropping the wrappers onto the table beside him. "This plan of yours. Would it even work? We've been through plans before." Danny wasn't the only one to dream of escape, but he was the only one who wasn't an idiot and ran off as soon as a door was open.

"Four years is a lot of time to work out the kinks in a plan." Mm. That wasn't a very good answer, but then, Vlad wasn't much of a fan of yes or no answers. "Daniel… This is your last chance. I won't let it fail."

"How much danger is it going to put you in?" There was the soft sound of pencil scratching against paper on a clipboard, Danny steadily watching Vlad as he refused to answer the question. Didn't that just tell him everything he needed to know, too. "There's no way I'm doing this if it's going to hurt you-"

" _I_ , at least, won't be cut open on a table without a heartbeat in a few hours." The words weren't screamed, but they might as well have been with how cold they were. "We're doing this and you can either cooperate or I can resort to plan B where you don't have to be conscious."

"That's cruel." He shouldn't. Danny _shouldn't_ be feeling like this was possible. It was just talk. Words that were nothing but noise. He shouldn't be getting excited over the chance that he could _actually_ be free. "This is cruel, Vlad, even by your standards."

"Whatever made you think I was a nice man?" Vlad patted at his cheek, hand resting there for a moment before he sighed and dropped it to Danny's shoulder. "Just hope, Daniel. For a few more hours, just have trust in me and _hope_."

"I was supposed to spend the rest of my life in here." That was how it was supposed to go. He'd be the government's lab rat, he'd get used to never having his memories back, and he'd just live out the rest of his life in a government testing facility. "That was how it was supposed to be."

"Yes, well, I've rather found that planning ahead never quite works like one would expect." Vlad sighed, meeting Danny's gaze again. "I'm going to tell you as much about your past as I know and when you get out you're going to find them. They'll welcome you back without hesitation."

"How can you be sure? How can you- I've been gone for five years. Whatever they felt for me is probably- They probably thought I was dead and had a _funeral_ , Vlad. Who wants a dead kid back in their lives?"

"Daniel, they _will_ accept you - your parents, especially. Once you have children… Everything changes. You'll return to them, to Jack and Maddie Fenton, and you'll have a home again. A real one."

"Vlad- Vlad, I only remember a few things. My childhood bed, my favorite cartoon, and the color purple. That's not- That's nowhere near enough to actually _survive_ -"

"You, little badger, give yourself too little credit." Trying not to laugh at the nickname, Danny shook his head. "And yes, I am never going to let you forget that."

"I panicked and you were wearing a white lab coat and I heard someone talking about honey badgers that day. I can't be blamed for what happened." Humor. Humor helped cover up everything else. That was all he needed, right? "Vlad… If it wasn't for you then my first memory would have been waking up in those labs. They've taken everything from me."

"And you can get it back. They didn't take your memories, Daniel, you hid them away. I've told you this." Yeah, yeah, psychology and repression, and everything, but… He had to have hid them away for a reason. Maybe it was because they hurt too much. "You're going to be okay."

"Right. Okay." He could believe in one more lie, right? Besides, if it was the last lie he'd ever believe in, then, well. It wasn't a bad one. "What's this plan of yours, then?"

::

"This is the last test for this subject, then?" As usual, the scientists preferred to think he was nothing _but_ the animals he shifted into. Danny hoped he could bite at least one of them before he left.

"Yes, after this we move him to F-121." The dissection labs. Fuck, Vlad hadn't been kidding at all, then, had he? "Make sure he's strapped in tightly. They're expecting him in half an hour."

"All secure." The bands around his wrists and ankles were checked, Danny staying still and silent and he just had to have patience. He just had to be patient and wait for the right moment. That didn't mean he liked the fact that he was on his stomach his back was facing them. "Do you think they'll let us study his brain one last time before they put him under?"

Tuning the conversation out, Danny focused on pushing away the pain that came from their scalpels slicing into him, his paper gown pushed away as the strings were cut. As soon as he got out of here he was going to find the largest, softest clothes he could and never take them off.

Just as it seemed like the pain was going to overwhelm him, the blaring ringing of alarm bells had all three of them startling, Danny looking up with wide eyes as the room began to be washed out with red colors.

"The contamination warning? Shit, is it airborne?" The scalpels left his skin and Danny heard the door of the room unlock itself, a pre-recorded voice sounding over the speakers.

" _Attention, this is not a drill. An airborne contaminant has been released into the compound. Please escort yourselves to the designated safe spots. Attention, this is not a drill. An airborne contaminant_ -" Signal. That was a hell of a signal.

Closing his eyes, Danny breathed out slowly before sucking another breath in and centering his thoughts. If one thing could be said about this hellhole, at least it had taught him just what he could do and what he was capable of.

"Should we- _Fuck_. The subject-" Too late. Throwing himself off the table, Danny hit the floor in a scramble of four paws, rat tail flicking sharply before he gave himself over to his instincts and _ran_. He knew a scrap of black fur and blue eyes could be easily lost in the chaos that was now happening - at least, to those who weren't looking.

Warm hands scooped him up, Danny opening his mouth wide and flashing sharp teeth and- "If you bite me, Daniel, then I will make sure to throw you into the _trash compactor_." Danny nipped Vlad's finger in defiance, laughing to himself as he was dropped into the man's pocket.

' _No sense of humor at all_.' Danny curled up in the pocket, slowly peeking out as Vlad ran through the halls, alarms still flashing and blaring and making the whole building a confusing den of sound and movement. ' _C'mon, Vladdie, running out of time_.'

"You remember the plan?" No, he obviously forgot between here and- Of course he remembered the plan! Danny hadn't let Vlad leave until he could recite it by heart! "Get ready to shift, I'm about to drop you off at the right vent."

It was only a few moments of Danny wondering what vent it would be at before Vlad was stopping and picking him up gently, hesitating as he stroked a thumb down Danny's back. "Be safe, little badger."

' _I won't forget this, Vlad_.' Danny knew Vlad couldn't hear his thoughts, but it was nice to pretend. ' _I promise_.' As soon as Danny's paws touched the ground he was shifting into a racoon and flexing his 'hands' before fighting to get the screws off of the air vent. It didn't take long before he managed to get them off. Ignoring his cuts on his hands - paws? - and the blood he could feel streaking down his back, Danny closed his eyes and shifted his body once more, panting to get his breath back as he balanced on four paws.

Back-to-back shifting always took it out of him considering how much his body was changing and how quickly it was, but he didn't have a choice much as the moment. "-he's escaping!" Fuck.

"Run and don't look back." Looking up at Vlad with sharp cat eyes, Danny yowled as he was near kicked into the vent, Vlad yelling at him. "Daniel, _run_!"

Knowing better than to question and not stupid enough to stick around and help, Danny pushed his tears back and ran down the vent, paws quick and sure and stride not breaking once as he bounded across the flexing metal ducts. He didn't stop until something was breaking and clattering and he hit cold pavement, and even then he only stopped long enough to coil his strength together before running again.

He didn't look back and he didn't stop. Cats were fast and they were fleet footed. They weren't meant to run for long periods of time, though, so as soon as Danny crashed into the woods he shifted into a small breed of hunting hound and kept running steadily ahead. It had to be near a mile before he felt as if his heart would beat right out of his chest and yet he still didn't stop. He couldn't. He _couldn't_.

If he stopped, for even a moment, then there was a chance he would be captured. There was a chance he would be captured, and killed, and he would find out that Vlad- As long as he kept running then he could pretend. He could pretend that he really could get away and get his memories back. He could pretend there was family out there waiting for him. He could pretend that Vlad was safe and had been fired and he was able to _leave_.

He wasn't sure how long it was or how long he had been running until the crunch of leaves and uneven dirt gave way for smooth, hard pavement once more, Danny gulping down air as he slowed only long enough to change back into the sleek form of a cat - and even then he didn't stay completely still. He couldn't. He was finally free. He was finally able to run and god- _God_. It was raining. It was _raining_. Danny hadn't felt rain since… He didn't know when, but it was more than five years ago, that was for sure.

Danny ran as he let the rain wash away his blood and soak him to the bone, the shivering so preferable to the burning, all consuming pain he had been feeling. He ran and he ran and he ran until he stumbled into an alleyway and saw the first human he had seen outside the labs. The man was probably a few years older than him, had scruffy black hair and green eyes, and looked to be having as bad a day as Danny.

He stopped only to get his breath back and let himself rest. That was it. Or at least, that was supposed to be it. Instead he had ended up curled up in the man's lap and not even hissing or minding the fingers that were running through his fur. Danny knew how bad days could make people unpredictable, but this man just looked like he wanted to go home, curl up into a ball, and cry.

Yeah, okay, so the guy was off his rocker insane thinking black cats were lucky and talking to him like he could understand everything he was saying, but Danny could handle being used as a cuddle toy for a few more minutes if it meant he didn't have to deal with a crying person.

Slumping against the fingers, Danny heaved a breath as it finally felt like his heart wasn't about to explode. ' _Okay. Okay, your last name is Fenton. You're seventeen and you disappeared when you were twelve. Your birthday is April 3rd. Your full name is Daniel James Fenton and you're looking for your family, Jack, Madeline, and Jasmine Fenton. Your bedspread was blue and you liked glow in the dark stars and your favorite cartoon show had something to do with spaceships and aliens._ _You love the color purple. You and your family lived in Amity Park_.'

Okay… Okay. He needed to find a way to get to this Amity Park. He wasn't sure which way he had run, but judging by the fact it had to be near the afternoon he had been running for hours, at least. He had never travelled outside the lab and it had been small, so he had probably been in a smaller lab simply so they didn't risk losing him in transport. That meant even if he wasn't in Amity Park, he had to be close. That meant they were close, too, though.

Right. Staying as a cat would be best right now. Cats were swift, agile, and small enough to not be seen. No doubt they would be searching the skies for a few weeks, so he had to be careful. They wouldn't expect him to stay as an animal for so long. The question was, how long would it take to convince them that he was dead or long gone? They had to assume he'd go back home, so was his family in danger? What if-

"Come on, petit chaton. Let's get out of this rain." Yowling as the human stood and jostled him, Danny was ready to bite and claw before the man was shifting the umbrella so Danny would stay dry and adjusting him carefully. "You are rather hurt, aren't you… Maybe Randy can help you."

Danny should jump. He should jump down, run away, and leave because otherwise he was about to be taken in as a _pet_ … They wouldn't expect him to be a pet. ' _You might have just saved my life, you know_.' If he could hide out as a pet for a few weeks, it would at least give him time to decide on what to do.

"Well, since I've already lost my sanity by talking to a cat, let's assume you're smart enough to realize what I'm doing. My name is Andrew Riter and I'll be taking you somewhere where you can get food and medical treatment."

' _Oh my god, you're a nerd. Do you go around to other animals and expect them to understand you? This isn't a Disney movie!_ ' If nothing else, at least Danny knew he wasn't about to be cut open anymore. The crazy purple coat the guy was wearing might even be a good sign - purple had always been his lucky color. That was enough, for right now.

It had to be.


	3. Chapter 3

Bonjour, mes chers! Sorry for the long delay, but things only just settled down after I got back from camping with my family! I hope you enjoy the third chapter. I'll be posting the advanced chapters up on my Patr(e)on here shortly, so keep an eye out and remember pledging a little as a dollar can unlock great bonus content!

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"I suppose if I miss lunch with Randy he'll be even more worried. He'll probably even try to move back in with me, again." Remembering the hell that came from sharing an apartment with his overbearing and well-concerning brother _last time_ , Andrew groaned and pushed himself to his feet before looking down to the bedraggled scrap of fur still curled up in his arms. "You'll remind me to stop by and get my meds filled, won't you?"

There was a sound between a meow and a purr, Andrew choking on a laugh as he threaded his fingers through the wet black fur. "I've fallen rather far already, so I might as well ask. Would you like to come to lunch with me? You'll have to meet my brother, but he usually pays for lunch and, if nothing else, it's free food that _isn't_ alive and moving."

The cat in his arms seemed to _study_ him for a long few moments before collapsing, rather dramatically, and near falling out of his arms. As soon as Andrew was sure he wasn't about to actually fall and hit the ground, he was choking on a laugh. "You're a dramatic little thing, aren't you?" He was going to take the loud, wild murr sound as an agreement. Besides, if that noise was supposed to be an argument, then it just proved his point about the dramatism. "Come on, then."

Shifting the cat into one arm, Andrew braced the umbrella over them with his other as he began walking through the streets. Memorial Day meant there was a fair amount of traffic running back and forth, but other than that there was absolutely no one out _walking_ \- not that Andrew could blame them. _They_ were probably smart enough to check the weather forecast before going outside.

Jeez, it was bad enough that even with the umbrella they were still getting wet. He supposed a cheap little thing could only do so much against wind like _this_. Ugh. The last dying storms of May always seemed the worst. It was like winter was giving them one last 'present'. It- Well, Andrew could understand why others disliked winter as they did, that was for sure. Maybe-

A sharp meow jerked him out of his thoughts, Andrew looking down in bewilderment the exact second a gust of wind tore through town and ripped away his umbrella and left a nice gash on his palm from one of the prongs snagging him. Hissing at the pain, Andrew quickly curled around the now screeching cat, shifting and moving to get his coat open enough for the little thing to curl up against his, somewhat dry, chest.

"Hey, hey, we're alright. Just a bit of rain and wind." There was another loud screeching noise and Andrew was pretty sure he was being yelled at by a cat. How delightful a day, so far. "Alright, a bit more than just a bit, but it's really not that bad. You had better not be blaming your bad luck either, petit chaton." Andrew tapped at the little thing's nose, grinning at the snuffle. "I had bad luck _long_ before I met you."

Making sure the kitten was reassured enough to curl up to him and settle down, Andrew squinted up through the downpour as he shielded his hurt hand as much as possible. While walking six blocks to the cafe he and Randy ate at was never a difficult thing to do, today it felt like nothing more or less than a biblical journey.

Any dry spots he had left on him were mercilessly soaked to where he felt like he was wading through the ocean. It was only the little black bundle of fur pressed against his chest that kept him from breaking down in the middle of the streets and screaming at God and _hadn't he been punished enough_ -

"Andrew?!" The shout of his name was barely even heard, but Andrew didn't fight it as he was jerked inside an open door and- Oh.

"Bonjour, Amy. Doing well, I hope?" Their usual server, and long time friend, was looking at Andrew as if he had just crawled out of a sewer. He certainly felt it, so he couldn't blame her. "I know what you're thinking, but it really isn't bad-"

"You look like hell. You look like every religion's version of hell- You look like the hell that the religions who don't have hell would say hey, you look like hell." Waiting for Amy to breath, Andrew quickly jumped in.

"Honestly, it's not that bad. I just got caught in the rain when it really started hitting. See? Just a little wet it all!"

"Just a little- Is that blood on your hand? Randy!" Oh, no. "And hide that cat, you know the manager hates even seeing service animals in here." How the hell- "Cat tail."

"Yes, well, shut up." Tucking the kitten more out of sight, Andrew looked up and almost had heart failure as he met Randy's gaze. He had five seconds to regret his life before he was caught up in a hug tight enough that had him squeaking and had the cat giving a startled shriek of a noise. It did help in getting Randy to let go of him, though, so that was good.

"Okay, first question, what the hell was that?" 'First.' As his bundle of dirty fur poked his head out of the coat and hissed at Randy, Andrew gave a tired _giggle_. He did need sleep soon, didn't he?

"It's a long story." Startling at the dry towel that fell over his head, Andrew blinked to see Amy carrying a whole armful of fluffy white towels.

"Good. You can explain while we dry your stupid ass off. Honestly, walking around in this without an umbrella- And how did you mess your hand up?"

"Ah, yes, that. Well, it's an explanation as to where my umbrella went." Andrew ignored the glare as he held his hand out to Randy's probing fingers, not even able to drudge up the energy to roll his eyes when his brother had his hurt hand dried off, wiped clean, and wrapped in bandages in a heartbeat. Paranoid, he was.

"Winds that bad, huh," Randy snorted, using the towel to gently dry Andrew's hair before grabbing another one, distracting the cat with a bit of clicking and hand movement, and then snatching him up into the towel. He then quickly gave him back to Andrew.

"Oh, yes, give me the murderous ball of fluff." The cat looked less murderous and more confused, though. Andrew would have liked to comfort him, but Amy was already patting down at his back.

"You're a matching pair. Twins, maybe." Mm. "Come on, I already ordered for us." As the two nudged him along, Andrew allowed himself a small sigh. If nothing else was right in his shit life, at least he had a great big brother and wonderful friends. Well. The plural of that last part could be debated, he supposed, depending on the day and friend he was dealing with. "You had better not get sick, either. Really, Andy, I deal with animals, not humans - and I'm not about to be the next Doolittle."

"Actually, depending on which iteration you're talking about, that was a medical doctor who became a veterinarian." Andrew was pushed down into his seat for his troubles. "Seeing as you deal with animals, however, I might just have a new patient for you."

"Yeah, you know, I kind of noticed," Randy snorted, throwing a few more towels on Andrew before he took his own seat. "I think that's the most sickly, bedraggled little thing I've ever seen." Said 'sickly, bedraggled little thing' promptly hissed at Randy and managed to wiggle a paw out to flex claws at him. "Cute."

"Isn't he?" Andrew grinned, grabbing the paw and giving it a little shake. He was honestly surprised he wasn't scratched for that, but he was more amused by the cat's once more confused expression.

"Sorry, I'm a little distracted because you're holding a _cat_. A _black cat_. Andy, frérot, don't you have enough bad luck as it is?"

"Oh, please. You and I both know what a silly superstition that is. Honestly, just because a few people in a colony thought they were the servants of witches we now have-"

"Blue eyes." Snapping his mouth shut, he looked to Randy, Andrew swallowing at the look that was very close to pitying. "Andy, your cat there has blue eyes."

Not having a response to that one, Andrew looked down as their food arrived. Shoving his fork around his dry chicken salad, Andrew picked out a few smaller pieces of chicken before beginning to feed the cat still wrapped up in a towel in his lap. It was a bit sad to see there was no suspicion at the food and instead the cat was gulping it down as fast as possible.

He got through four pieces before Randy finally sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll schedule some time to take a look at him tomorrow. He probably just needs a round of shots and maybe some antibiotics." Ah. The cat was hissing again. "Hey, I'm taking time out of my schedule and money out of my clinic to look at you. You had better appreciate it."

"Isn't that illegal to take money from the clinic?" This time Randy was the one to give a long silence. "If you go to jail again-"

"Hey, last time wasn't my fault!"

"Just like the first, second, and third time weren't your fault?"

"They weren't. I just had some bad influences in my life is all."

"Bad influences! You broke into at pet store and freed all the pets!"

"I found them all homes, didn't I?"

"Randy-"

"So, what are you going to name him?" Oh, look, something that managed to shock him into silence. He was surprised Randy had managed to ask him something so _stupid_. "Well, you're keeping him, aren't you?"

"Wha- Since when did I say I was keeping him! I have no plans on keeping him and so giving him a name would be superfluous at best and-" Pausing as he felt something hit his fingers, he glanced down to see that the cat had pushed his plate closer to him and was now giving him a _judging_ look. He then went back to nudging the plate and didn't stop until Andrew cautiously took a bite of food.

Across from him, Randy started laughing. Brat. "I like this cat already if he can get _you_ to eat your food!" Please. Andrew was never _that_ bad. Usually.

"It's ridiculous." Andrew took another bite even as he fed the little thing another scrap of chicken. He seemed to make sure Andrew was really eating before taking the bite of food himself. It had Andrew remembering something he didn't want to remember. "D… Danny." The cat in his arms went still for some odd reason, but Randy going silent across from him was what had Andrew looking at the table and rambling.

"It's a good name for a cat, don't you think? Danny? It's certainly not a bad name. Nothing like Snuffles or Snowball or Coal or anything stupid like that. It could be a good name. Okay, so-"

"Danny sounds like a great name, Andy." Glancing up to see his brother's smile, Andrew gave a weak little one back as he fed… As he fed _Danny_ another scrap of chicken. Poor thing was still looking exhausted if he was near limp in his arms now.

"I suppose I'm still not ready to let it all go, am I?" Five years. It had been _five years_ and yet _still_ \- Well. Maybe it would be nice to think of someone else when he heard that name. He wasn't sure how effective _that_ would be, though. Black hair and bright blue eyes.

Sighing softly to himself, Andrew bowed his head. He really had been doomed from the start in all of this.

::

"Randy? Can you come here?" Feeling more than seeing his brother rush over, Andrew carefully continued to peel Danny out of the towel around him - the towel that was no longer white. "Is he bleeding?"

"Fuck, you sure know how to pick them if he is." Randy was inspecting Danny at once, the poor thing too tired to do much more than make a pathetic growling noise. "He definitely was. Most of it is scabbing over, but those are some nasty wounds… You have tomorrow off?"

"Wha- Oh, yes." Taking a moment to make sure it was indeed Tuesday tomorrow, Andrew gave a nod. "Yes, I have it off."

"Bring him by around eleven or so, okay?" That bad, then. "For tonight just keep him from moving too much, don't let him jump or run around, and make sure he gets plenty of water. No water or food after midnight, though, okay? I don't know how much he'll need done tomorrow."

"Got it." Andrew tucked the towel back around Danny, shifting him in his arms so he was more comfortable. "Can you pay for the towel, too?"

"You're something else." What was that supposed to mean! "Yes, Andy, I'll pay for the towel, too. Now go home, will you? You're making me near cry just looking at you."

"Mother and I could say the same about you," Andrew sniffed, turning on his heel and choosing to take Danny's strange noise as a laugh. "Danny agrees with me, too!"

"Doesn't he always?" Heh. Guess he wasn't the only one who couldn't leave it _all_ behind. "Go cuddle up with a book, nerd."

"Try not to wind up in jail again!" Poking his head out of the cafe, Andrew sighed in relief as he saw the rain had finally stopped. "See? Our bad luck isn't so bad." Looking around, Andrew jumped as he felt the pricking of teeth against his hand that hand the bandage on it. Danny wasn't biting, but he was certainly getting his attention. "What? Are you bleeding again? Am I?"

After a few moments of nothing else happening, and not seeing any blood, Andrew looked back up to start off towards home before he felt the 'bite' again. "I can't read minds, you-" Ah. "You're reminding me to get my medicine." The teeth left him and Danny gave a soft purr. "Well, you at least can earn your keep, I suppose."

It was probably coincidence, but… It was nice to think that someone else was helping him remember the important things. "Right. First my medicine, and then we can go home." Maybe his luck really _wasn't_ so bad.


	4. Chapter 4

Bonjour, mes chers! I know it's been quite a while, but I'm afraid I was knocked down after a detached retina and some emergency eye surgery. I'm doing alright now and I'm starting to be able to see again, but it might be a while before I'm at 100% again. (Most of my online set up is on night/dark mode to reduce eye strain as much as possible). Still, I'll try to get my stories back on a rough updating schedule until things can settle down. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Consider supporting me to see more stories like this one! $38/100 down for the podfic goal!

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' _Hey, hey, hey, hey, weird crying nerd, can you hear me?_ ' There was no reaction from the weird crying nerd besides quiet humming as they walked through town, the clouds having cleared up while they were eating lunch. ' _I know you can hear me. You called me Danny. There's no way you can't not hear me._ '

Danny was pretty willing to have some faith when it came to weird things considering who and what he was, but this? Someone just _randomly_ naming him his exact name? That couldn't just be a coincidence. It couldn't. ' _Hey, Andrew, right? Andrew. Andrew. Andrew. Andrew._ ' Nothing. Not a single thing. Andrew didn't even look down at where Danny had his claws sunk into the messenger bag he was carrying with that stupid towel still wrapped around him.

Honestly, what guy carried a bag like this? It was a stupid bag. He was going to work, not to school. Did he really need this much stuff? It seemed heavy, too. It was probably full of books. This one looked like the type to carry books around everywhere with him. ' _I know you can hear me. You have to hear me._ '

Andrew looked down at him and Danny startled, thinking that maybe the man really could- "I don't have any litter." Yeah, wow, no, he definitely couldn't read his mind or hear him or anything. "I wonder if newspaper would work…" Right. Well. Couldn't be more horrifying or embarrassing than anything else he had been through.

Right, okay, focus. Danny. He said Danny. The way those two had talked, though… Andrew and his brother - Randy? - had made it seem like he could be _another_ Danny. Randy had said something about his blue eyes, but how many black cats with blue eyes could there be! Especially ones named _Danny_. It couldn't be a coincidence! Had they… Had they known him when he was little?

It would make sense. He had probably shifted as a kid and domestic animals had always been easier for him to shift into, so maybe they were so sad over losing a cat named Danny because- No. That didn't make sense. That was just some wishful thinking. It was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid-

"Please don't bite me for this." With that, Danny yelped - yowled? - as he was taken away from the bag and tucked under Andrew's coat and _ugh_. It was so _hot_ now. "I'd rather you not meet the residents of my apartment quite yet."

' _What? No pets allowed rule? I didn't take you to be the type to break rules._ ' With anything, the nerd looked like he'd be the type to rat people out if they broughts pets into a no pet apartment. Maybe there was more to this Andrew guy than met the eye. ' _Fine, fine, I'll hide under your coat just this once. You're lucky I'm actually sort of human. A normal cat would have clawed your face off by now._ '

Danny stayed still until he was being gently pulled out and set down on a couch, Andrew staring at him for a moment before gently unwinding the towel from around him. "Alright, Randy said you're not supposed to move too much."

' _No, duh. I'm a shapeshifter, not an idiot._ ' He had been hurt enough to know that staying still was the best option. He supposed he had lucked out getting 'caught' by someone who knew how to sew him back up, but the idea of needles and shots… He'd have to prepare himself for that one. ' _You're soaked, dude._ '

"Okay- Okay. Just, um, stay here and rest- Water. He said you should be given water." Watching Andrew run towards what was probably the kitchen area, Danny tried not to laugh as the man almost tripped over three separate piles of books before he made it.

' _Jesus, haven't you ever heard of cleaning up, before?_ ' There were books _everywhere_ , but Danny didn't get to take too close of a look because Andrew was coming back with a bowl full of water.

"Alright. So, drink that for now and I'll call Randy and see what's safe for you to eat- Phone. My phone is dead. Right. Drink that and I'm going to charge my phone and change out of these clothes."

' _Can do, nerd._ ' Danny shook his entire body, grinning when a lot of the water got on Andrew. He took it as a fact the man was a cat person when he only sighed before standing up and heading towards another room.

Right. First things first. Turning to the bowl of water, Danny immediately gulped down as much as he could. Considering the last day or two, it tasted _wonderful_. He really hadn't been looking forward to drinking out of a sewer, so this was great.

As soon as he was done and the bowl was empty, Danny jumped up onto the back of the couch and looked around curiously. It was a nice little apartment, overall, but he couldn't help but be amused by how it was covered in books, blankets, and pillows, and the colors of blue and purple.

He probably couldn't jump without landing on a pillow or a blanket, which… That was kind of a nice thought. He had always loved the color purple, too, so maybe that was another reason he loved it so much. And oh, man, it was so _different_ from the labs. There wasn't a spec of white or steel to be seen and the only thing that was hard and sharp were probably the edges of all the books that were in the place.

It was such a great place, but it… It seemed familiar, almost, like he had been there before. That was impossible, though, because there was no way he could have been. But… But maybe he had been somewhere _similar_ before. Maybe this was a sign his memories were starting to come back to him.

It definitely felt like there was something prickling at the back of his mind - something he should _know_. Jumping down back onto the couch cushions and then onto the floor, Danny flexed his back and winced at the pull. He would definitely need stitches considering how much shifting he had done with those incencisions on his back.

Right. He would have to spend all of his focus to get his memories back and oh… Oh, holy shit, these pillows were _soft_. After the abuse his paws went through, Danny felt no hesitation in falling onto one of the pillows and stretching out and _oh, god, the blankets were even softer_.

Danny wasn't sure how long he laid there, but he realized that it had probably been _awhile_ when he felt a poking to his head and oh, Andrew was back. ' _That's rude_.' At another poke, Danny lazily moved to bite at him, growling as threateningly as he could when Andrew only laughed. He supposed it hadn't really been much of a bite.

"Come here, you." Delighted when Andrew scooped up him _and_ the pillow, Danny relaxed further when they sat down on the couch. A few moments and Andrew found a remote and clicked on the old television set pressed into the corner, Danny turning to look at it curiously. He had seen Netflix on a few phones and Vlad sometimes showed him movies, but he had never gotten to watch _tv_ in the labs.

"It's not much, but I figure it's better than starving to death in an alleyway in the rain somewhere. Small thing like you would have been washed into the sewers."

' _Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Still, thanks. It could have been worse._ ' Living as a pet wasn't so bad, but the idea of living in the streets? He could probably survive, but he wasn't too keen on probably.

"It's been a long day," Andrew sighed, fingers settling at Danny's neck and scratching lightly. It was nice that Andrew seemed to avoid any scars or sore spots. He also backed off immediately when he did come across one.

' _You know, maybe there's something I can do to help you out before I leave. I'm not sure what, yet, but I can probably think of something._ ' Andrew had done a lot for him, after all, even if the man didn't know it, yet. Danny could find _some_ way to pay him back, right?

He had time to think about it, at least. For now, Danny was safe and hidden away, it was warm, he was comfortable, and he was going to get his wounds looked at by someone who could help him and didn't want to experiment on him. So far? Not a bad day.

::

' _I've seen pictures of this sometimes, but cats curl up on people's shoulders, right?_ ' It had been an entire night and Danny had slept for most of it, but he had woken up and had the startling realization that he needed to act more cat like. Well, actually, first he had wondered where the hell he was and had been ready to claw open the stranger that was picking him up, but then there was a warm washcloth to his back that felt _so nice_ and his memories had settled back into place.

"If you fall off then you had better not claw me on the way down." Andrew was half glaring at him as he closed and locked his apartment door. He looked exhausted and it had taken Danny yowling and knocking over the bag of medicine on the counter for him to remember to take it. He really, _really_ wasn't that good in the mornings, Danny was finding out. "Right. Eleven. Appointment at eleven."

"Andrew!" Startling as Andrew tensed up, Danny felt his fur start to raise and fuck, he couldn't really defend Andrew as just a housecat, but- "You're late on your rent!"

' _Dude, you're terrified of a little old lady landlord?_ ' This was hilarious. This was absolutely _hilarious_.

"What's that, Vidya? I'm afraid I can't hear you, I have a very important appointment I need to keep." With that, Andrew was flat out _running_ towards the stairs, Danny cackling even as he dug his claws in to hang on.

"Andrew! Was that a cat on your shoulders? _Andrew_!" The yells followed them down the stairs, Andrew huffing and panting for breath as he stopped on the second floor.

"You know running away only encourages her." Alright. New person. Andrew looked exhausted, so he must have known her, at least. "Rent?"

"I get paid this week!" Andrew stood back up and crossed his arms, Danny trying to look extra cute to ruin whatever image the man was going for. "And what shall you be lecturing me on today, Samantha?"

"One, don't call me that. Two, is that a cat? Three, does Vidya know you have a cat? Four, _don't call me that_."

"One, what are you going to do about it? Two, yes, indeed, congratulations, you have eyes. Three, do you honestly think I would bring a pet into the building without running it by my landlady? Four, _what_ are _you_ going to do about it?"

' _Oh my god, dude, you're such an ass. I don't know whether to love you or hate you._ ' Not Samantha seemed to be of the same opinion since she looked torn between punching him and straight up laughing.

"Right, contraband cat, got you. Got a name for your new pet cat, then?" Not Samantha held a hand out to him, Danny remember to act cat like as he sniffed at her hand for a second or two- Oh, huh, plants. Definitely a plant smell. Maybe she gardened or something. "Don't you have enough bad luck, Andy."

"Don't call me that," Andrew snapped, a lot more vicious than the girl had been about her name. "I certainly thought I did when you two moved into the building. Now, if you excuse me, I have places to be."

' _Whoa, dude, chill, she wasn't even being mean._ ' That- That was weird. Andrew had seemed alright in the time Danny knew him, but now he was closed off and snapping and sounded pissed. ' _Who shoved you off the wrong side of the bed this morning?_ '

"You still didn't tell me his name." Not Samantha didn't even seem upset, just smiling sadly as if she had expected it to happen. Anger management problems? No. That didn't- Andrew was on pills for anxiety, depression, and he had been _sobbing_ yesterday. That wasn't like someone with anger management problems. They exploded, they didn't just… They didn't break like that.

"It… His name is Danny." See! No screaming or shouting, just a soft, apologetic tone and a posture that made Danny want to hug him. Jesus, he had never seen someone so scared before.

"Danny." Oh, man, that was a look if there ever was one. "Right- Right. Okay. It's nice to meet you, Danny. I'm Sam."

"He's a cat, Samantha, he's not going to understand you."

' _Nice to meet you, Sam._ ' Sam… Huh. That was a nice name.

"And you, Andrew, need to have a little more faith in things." Sam patted at Andrew's cheek, hand lingering there as the two shared a smile and that- Okay, there was friends, and then there was _friends_. So were they… If they _weren't_ then Danny knew how he could help Andrew now, at least. "Tucker's been complaining. Be on the watch."

"When _isn't_ he complaining," Andrew grumbled, smile still on his face as he patted at Sam's hand before stepping back. "I'll be back later if you still insist on breaking into my apartment for lunch as you do every Tuesday."

' _Dude, you're so dating her. You know she's out of your league, right? You should be ecstatic._ ' It seemed weird for these two to be together, though. Like it was there, but it didn't quite _click_. Danny would have to think on it more later- Ah. Another one.

"Tucker?" The man, Tucker, looked to be ready to fall over and was looking ready to shake himself to pieces as he stared at a device in his hands that looked to hold the answer to life. "Tucker, are you alright? Do I need to call your mother again?"

' _Is… Is he okay?_ ' This man didn't look okay. He did not at all look okay. When the man looked up, Danny was eighty percent sure this Tucker guy was a zombie. ' _I think he's dead, Andrew, keep walking._ '

"My classes for today all got cancelled where the school was threatened by a bomb attack." Tucker looked like he had seen God as he shuffled forward to pull Andrew into a hug. "I can finally get six full hours of sleep."

"Oh, um, I- I am glad for you?" Andrew flailed his arms around before patting three times at Tucker's shoulder.

' _Wow, you suck at this, don't you?_ ' Meowing loudly to get Tucker's attention, Danny bumped their heads together. ' _Go sleep. You look dead._ ' Alright, Danny wasn't that good himself, but _he_ couldn't speak.

"You have a cat." Mm, Andrew's friends were interesting, weren't they? "Is it a magical cat? Are you secretly a witch?"

"You need to quit that double major." Oh, wow, that's why he looked dead. Danny had heard the stories of when Vlad double majored and they were… Well. "No to both of those. Now let go, I need to take him to Randy."

"Right. Okay. I'm gonna go sleep." Tucker took Danny's paw, giving it a shake. "I'm Tucker. Nice to meet you."

' _Oh my god, your friends are crazy._ ' Danny did his best to not laugh and instead force a meow out like a normal cat would do. ' _Name's Danny. Go sleep._ '

"His name is Danny," Andrew said quietly. "Now go sleep." Okay, seriously, Andrew had to at least be able to _guess_ the thoughts of others, right?

"Right. Okay. Good night." The man turned towards an apartment door and tumbled his way inside, Danny a hundred percent sure that Tucker had crashed to the ground and fallen asleep there.

"I apologize for all of them. Samantha and Tucker are childhood friends who persist to annoy me far into my adult life and Vidya is a witch."

' _You have problems showing affection to people, don't you?_ ' Danny stretched out before standing up and purring as he shuffled his paws against Andrew's shoulders. ' _Don't you worry 'bout a thing, Andy, I'll help you get past that bitter nature and open up more. I might even manage to get you a date with that Sam girl!_ '

Besides, Danny could handle lingering around here for a while longer. It was nice. He had heard Andrew or Randy mention Amity Park the other day, so he was on the right track, at least. It couldn't be hard. These people, though… These names.

Andrew, Randy, Sam, and Tucker. He knew those names, didn't he? They were familiar- Hey, maybe they were old classmates of his! Maybe that's why they seemed familiar! They might even have old pictures of when he was a kid in a group class photo or something.

"For heaven's sake, stop standing like that! You're going to fall and rip open your wounds again!" Andrew pushed and nudged him into his arms, Danny purring instead of laughing as he settled down. "Honestly, Danny."

' _Still weird you got my name right, you know_.' Maybe he had lost someone who had blue eyes and black hair and was also named Danny? It would explain why everyone looked at him and Andrew in pity when they heard it, and it would explain why Andrew was so bitter if he lost someone close to him. ' _Don't worry. I know what it's like to lose people, too._ ' Maybe Andrew just needed company here and there. Danny could do that much.

"You're going to cause me nothing but problems, aren't you?" Looking up at Andrew, Danny gave the best grin he could. "Brat."

' _Says the nerd._ ' He wasn't home, yet, but this… This could be nice.


	5. Chapter 5

Bonjour, mes chers! My apologies for this chapter lagging behind a bit, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Also, I just realized I haven't really explained much of what you usually see right before the chapter, so let me take a quick moment to do just that.

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 **Warnings for:** Mentions of taking blood and stitches for medical reasons

* * *

"Andrew? Oh, dear, did Randy break something and I haven't heard about it, yet?" Oh, goodness. This clinic put their receptionist through far too much.

"No, Jenny, as far as I know Randy hasn't broken anything." Then again, it _was_ Randy. "That might change, but I'm not here to bail him out of trouble for once."

"Is it time for lunch already? I know time flies by when playing solitaire, but that seems a bit ridiculous." Mm, he always had liked Jenny.

"No, no. I'm not here to drag Randy out by his ear or anything of the sort." There was a strange noise from his new companion, Andrew absolutely _certain_ it was a laugh. Could cats laugh? This one seemed to be able to. Plucking the mangy thing up by his scruff, Andrew set him down on the counter. "I'm here with a new patient."

"Oh!" Jenny gently gave Danny a scratch behind his ears, Andrew rolling his eyes when the cat purred and tilted his head into the touch. Honestly. So much for that fierce alleycat disposition Danny had tried to put up for the first few hours they had met. "What a sweet thing. Stray?"

"I found him in the alleyway behind where I work. Looked half drowned and ready to cry his heart out." That was a very judgemental look the two were giving him. "I stand by my statement."

"Mhm." Jenny gave Danny another little scratch before getting out a clipboard and a stack of papers and oh, no. "Alright. Here are some forms for you to fill out- Since he's a stray, just answer as many questions as you can or anything you might have noticed about his behavior. Have you scheduled an appointment for a rabies shot?"

"Rabies?" Andrew looked to Danny in slight alarm, the cat almost looking as alarmed as him. "I, um, I didn't think he had rabies? Randy didn't seem too concerned yesterday, at least."

"Well, we recommend it anyways, especially with strays." Right. Okay. Rabies shot. Nn. "You have insurance?"

"Of sorts." The look he was given said it all, Andrew huffing as he waved his hand about. "It's America, what do you expect?"

"Oh, don't start with me about that free healthcare debate. I hear enough of it from your brother." Well, it wasn't like it was _their_ fault they were born in France before being dragged here. "Although it is funny to watch him start rambling in French and not even be aware of it."

"He really does that?" Andrew took the clipboard and adjusted as Danny jumped back onto his shoulders. "I wasn't aware he still had that habit."

"Oh, all the time. He'll also forget his glasses on the top of his head so he keeps hitting the edges of the door frames- Did you know he one time walked into a wall? Six inches off, dead center. Near broke his glasses, the poor thing."

"Jenny, I want you to know you're my favorite human being, right now." Andrew was going to make sure that Randy never lived any of that down. "Are you getting revenge on him for something?"

"He needs to learn that if something is labelled, then it needs to be left alone." Jenny gave a smirk as she waved him off. "Go on and sit down. I'll let Randy know you're here since he probably went behind my back to make an appointment for you."

"Eleven sharp," Andrew confirmed, trying not to laugh at Jenny's expression. "There was already another appointment at eleven, wasn't there?"

"Your brother is going to be the end of us yet, Andrew." Shaking his head as Jenny went on what would no doubt be a massacre, Andrew sat down in one of the chairs and glanced around the clinic. It was one of the smaller clinics in town, so it wasn't exactly busy. There were four other people there and three of them looked well beyond their seventies.

"Right. Paperwork." Andrew liked paperwork well enough, he supposed. Besides, how bad could it- Oh, that was a lot of questions. Why did a vet need to have so many answers? "You don't have rabies, do you?"

Danny crawled down into his lap and peeked at the clipboard, meowing quietly. The small thing was probably curious, but it was easy to imagine that Danny was baffled, instead. "At least _you_ don't have to fill it all out. Do you have any heart conditions?"

Taking the meow as a maybe, Andrew began flipping through the papers and checking and writing things down as needed. A lot of it was either a maybe, a 'I don't know', and there might have been a few swears aimed at Randy thrown in there. The others would get a kick out of it, no doubt.

Signing off what needed signatures, writing out Randy's credit information, and trying to defend his pen from a curious and stupidly adorable cat, Andrew finally finished all the paperwork just as Randy stepped out from the back and oh, lord. "What on _earth_ happened to you?"

"Some regulars. Don't worry about it." 'Don't worry about it.' Randy looked like he had gone up against some hellhounds and _lost_. His arms were covered in scratches, there was a nice one on his cheek that looked to be bleeding a little, and his clothes and hair were an absolute wreck. "Come on, show me my newest, littlest patient- Unless he escaped on you?"

"If only." Rolling his eyes as Danny wiggled his way back onto his shoulders, Andrew slapped Randy's arm with the clipboard before handing it over. "Stop stealing Jenny's power drinks."

"Her name wasn't on there when I got to it." Flipping through the papers, Randy nodded as he waved them back. "Alright, was there anything else that seemed to be bothering him after you took him over? Besides the giant gaping wound on his back."

"Oh, um." Thinking on it, Andrew glanced to Danny, watching the cat shake out a paw. "His paws seemed to hurt, I think. The few times I saw him walk he seemed to limp."

"All four paws? Is he favoring one in particular?" Thinking back to how Danny didn't want to move _at all_ , Andrew gave a shake of his head.

"All four paws. Too much running around, maybe?" Lord knows he would be exhausted after living on the streets for a while.

"Maybe. He also could have walked into some acid. Some people leave puddles of it around so animals won't go near their property."

"That's utterly _barbaric_." There was a loud yowl of agreement from Danny, Randy snorting as he easily dodged a poodle running by before grabbing it around the chest and dodging a bite to his hand.

"Rick, I told you not to let this one out without the harness!" An exhausted looking man came running up to take the dog, Randy looking nothing but amused as the same thing seemed to happen with two cats and a few birds.

"Why in God's name does it seem like a zoo back here?" It was a chaotic mess and… Well, the job may not have suited Randy, but the chaos certainly seemed to. Andrew was still waiting for when he quit in the dead of night and ran away to join a fashion industry. Randy _would_ go through years of schooling only to never use any of it again.

"Don't worry about it, we've been busy today. Besides, most of them are sweethearts who are just a little scared." Randy waved them into one of the exam rooms and pointed towards the metal table in the center before rummaging for supplies. Carefully setting Danny down, Andrew narrowed his eyes. "Jump off that table and they'll duct tape you down." Danny didn't move. "Good evil hellbeast."

"Evil hellbeast? Seems pretty sweet to be an evil hellbeast, Andy." Randy sat in a chair and wheeled his way over, waving a ridiculous looking toy in front of Danny. "You seem like the type to find this stupid, but I'm kind of under oath to at least try to distract you with the toy."

Danny stared at the toy, slowly reaching a paw out and giving it a single poke before looking at Randy with an expression Andrew couldn't begin to name. He could guess, though. "You're an idiot."

"Hey, I'm not the one who came up with it." Randy tossed the stupid toy onto the table before poking and prodding at Danny and going through a series of checkups that looked annoying rather than painful. "He's very mild mannered, isn't he? He hasn't even growled or scratched me, yet."

"He growls when he's being a brat," Andrew shrugged, dragging a chair over and sitting down next to Randy. "Do I have to get a rabies shot?"

"Oh, jeez, Jenny got to you, didn't she?" That woman was terrifying, truly. "No, he didn't show any of the signs. I'm going to do a short blood test today and see if he needs a new vaccine, but you should be alright. If I see anything weird in his blood, then I'll come knock down your door and drive you to the hospital myself."

"My knight in shining armor." Choosing to take the noise Danny made as a laugh, Andrew sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Should I worry about any strange behavior?"

"Strange behavior how?" Randy pried Danny's mouth open and started checking the throat and teeth, humming to himself. "Good teeth."

"He's always resting on my shoulders. Normal cats don't do that, do they? He doesn't mind when I pet him, either." At Randy's laugh, Andrew decided that he was not blushing and the room was merely warm. Very warm. "There's no need to be rude."

"No- Sorry, Andy, just- Jeez, no." Randy started inspecting the paws, Danny biting at Randy's hand halfheartedly and 'chewing' on it. "Did you feed him this morning?"

"Yes, I did. Why? That's teething behavior, isn't it?"

"It can be a sign of playing, too, but it isn't teething. Teeth are all grown in. He's probably just cranky. Oh, and no, it's normal behavior, or, well, it can be. Not all cats are the same and some can be as affectionate as dogs. If he's always seeking you out, though, he might have belonged to someone else and just misses them."

"So it's possible he ran away or got separated from his real owners?" That… That was a thought Andrew didn't much like, actually.

"Well, we don't know for sure. I can check him for a microchip to see if there's anything registered. With how beat up he looks, I doubt anyone is still looking for him, though- Easy, little guy."

Danny had near fallen off the table when Randy pressed against one of the paws, Andrew frowning as he saw how many cracks and scars there looked to be. That didn't seem normal for just a street cat or an escaped house cat. "Randy?"

"He needs to stay off his feet for a while. I have a cream that should help, but try not to let him walk on asphalt until this all heals." That would explain why Danny kept using him as transport rather than walk himself, he supposed. "Alright, let's check that back. Andy, you might need to hold him down."

"Oh, yes, use me as a sacrifice." Adjusting his position so he could be ready to grab Danny if he made a run for it, Andrew watched as Randy stood up and grabbed a light to better inspect Danny's back.

Danny made an unhappy noise, but he didn't run. Andrew played with one of his paws to distract him, snorting when his finger was 'bitten.' Randy swore quietly, and oh, that was not good. "This had to be made with a scalpel or a knife. You don't get clean cuts like these in the wild."

Randy spent a few more minutes looking at the back before clicking the light off and grabbing a syringe. For the first time, Danny looked panicked, Andrew jumping when the cat dove into his lap and tried to hide under his coat. "I don't think he likes needles."

"Yeah, no, I think I could tell that for myself." Randy frowned, sitting back down and looking to think for a moment. "Hold him, will you? That might help calm him down."

"Yes, I'll just betray his trust," Andrew snorted, gently tugging Danny out from under his coat. "Come on, it's Randy. He's too much off a goof to ever hurt anybody."

"Your praise is astounding." Randy waited until Danny was in Andrew's arms, sitting patiently as Andrew felt the cat relax under his fingers. "Okay, I'm just going to get a few vials of blood and do some tests so we can make sure he's not going to die overnight."

"If I get rabies and die, I'm coming back to haunt you." Andrew held Danny as tightly as he dared as Randy began to draw blood, Danny meowing and yowling and at one point hissing, but… He didn't try to break free. He looked upset and disgruntled and angry, but he didn't try to escape. "He seems almost… It's like he's been through all of this before."

"Not even the older domestics are ever this calm," Randy muttered, pulling the needle out and pressing a cotton ball to the needle mark. "And those wounds… I'll be back. You two stay here."

"Am I going to be here for the next hour?" Tsking as his hair was ruffled, Andrew glared after Randy as he looked down to a tired and disgruntled cat. "Feel free to bite him next time he gets close enough."

Danny heaved a sigh and relaxed in Andrew's arms, stretching out to get a little more comfortable before closing his eyes and oh, great. Now Andrew wasn't going to be able to _move_ for the next hour.

He was a bit upset by how much he _wasn't_ upset by that.

::

"I'm sorry, he's _what_?" Andrew stared at his brother in absolute disbelief, Danny back on the metal table and looking disgruntled at the needle Randy was threading through the numbed skin.

"Well, he's either a government cat or he belongs to someone very, _very_ rich." Randy seemed amused by the whole thing, careful as could be as he stitched together the nasty wound Danny had. "I'm going with government, though, because this little guy is pretty small for being near seventeen years old."

"He's seventeen?" Andrew looked back to Danny with wide eyes, heart near stopping when it truly sunk in. "He's… He's seventeen." Five years. He had been twelve. Five years and he had been _twelve_.

"Andy." Snapping out of his thoughts at his brother's tone, Andrew quickly shook his head. "Andy, I need you to focus, okay?"

"Right. Small alleycat. Seventeen." Not- Not him. Just a cat. "What makes you think he was a government cat? He could have been a test subject for any kind of science lab."

"Yeah, but… Andy, some of these scars- It looks like he's been through vivisections. He's underfed, crazily malnourished, and you don't see wounds like this on a cat used for typical experiments. Whatever he's been through… It wasn't good. I mean, look at him. Yeah, I numbed the area, but he's not even trying to get away as I do these stitches. He's been through this all before."

"So how did he end up in an alleyway? Did he escape?" If so, then good on him. Andrew couldn't even begin to imagine dealing with what Randy was telling him. Poor thing had probably been in a cage like that since he was a kitten. "How, ah… How long do cats live?"

"Typically fifteen or twenty years depending on the breed?" Randy finished up the suture stitches and pulled them tight, scratching behind Danny's ear once the stitches were clipped and tied. "I have a feeling he'll be sticking around awhile yet. Besides the physical abuse he's been through, he's looking good. Eyesight is fine, no weakness in the bones, blood's clean and no diseases of any kind, there doesn't seem to be any genetic disorders… He looks like he's in the prime of life. If I had to guess, he was a test subject for aging experiments."

"Jesus." Randy said it so casually, but that was- "Am I going to have to worry about government agents coming to my apartment." Oh, no, Andrew did not like that look on Randy's face.

"If you hadn't come here you might have." What? Randy grinned as he tapped at Danny's neck. "Microchipped - it's been there for a few years, it seems. I should be able to get it out, but I want to wait until he's a bit more healthy for that. He needs to get more weight on him before I would dare put him under for surgery."

Danny gave a loud meow, Randy laughing as he gently pushed the small thing to lay back down. "Easy, petit chaton, your back is still going to be numb. You won't realize if you hurt yourself, so you need to be careful."

"Yes, give medical advice to a cat- Do you think he understands us? I mean, do you think whatever they did caused him to have a higher intelligence?" Because that would explain a _lot_.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. We're not in one of your novels, Andy." Slapping at Randy's chest, Andrew gathered Danny up to him, pleased when Danny purred quietly and relaxed in his arms.

"He likes me more." Ah, an offended Randy. Balance restored. "So, the government can track him?"

"I can disable it for a few weeks until I can get it out of him, but it's- It's a fifty-fifty. It might come back online, but it will at least keep you two safe for right now." Right. Right. Okay. Nothing to worry about. He was just hiding a cat from some government agents. "Andy, breathe."

"I'm breathing! I'm just- I'm- I'm fine! I'm completely fine." Andrew was not fine. Seventeen. Seventeen and a government cat and experimented on and _seventeen_ and black fur and blue eyes and- "Ow." Jerking his wrist away from where it had been _bitten_ , Andrew glared at the unrepentant looking cat. "What was that for?"

"Probably so you would breathe. You were working yourself up into a panic attack." Oh. Oh, it had been a while since that happened. "Andy-" Randy cut himself off, Andrew flinching a little as he was pulled into a hug. "Alright?"

Just a cat. A strange cat, but just a cat. "Sorry." Focus. Focus, Andrew, focus. He didn't have time- It had been five years. It was time to get over it. "You can disable it?"

"Alright, we're a little bit inside one of your novels." Shoving at Randy's chest and hiding a smile, Andrew dragged in a breath, focusing on Danny's quiet purring. "Right, let's get you two set up. You can use the debit card you stole from me to go to the pet store."

"I borrowed it." Damn, he didn't think Randy would notice that for another week, at least. "Wait. Pet store?"

::

"You know, my brother once released all the animals from a pet store and then proceeded to find homes for them all." Danny gave a quiet meow from where he was on Andrew's shoulders, paws and back lightly bandaged to encourage faster healing. "Yes, he was an idiot, but he meant well. Neither of us like how animals are treated here. This one, at least, is a little better in caring for their animals."

Looking between the carts and the baskets, Andrew sighed as he fought to get a cart out before pushing it along. "Remember, Randy's paying, so look for the most expensive items available." Danny gave an absolutely precious trilling noise, Andrew trying not to admit that he was already in love with this cat as he jumped down to rest in the basket of the cart. "Right, let's get you enough items for the next few…"

Trailing off, Andrew looked at Danny for a long few seconds and oh. He had adopted a cat. The one thing he swore he would never do, and he had done it without even realizing. Poking at the cat's chest, Andrew's lips twitched into a smile when a paw batted at his finger. "If you aren't him, then he's laughing at me from wherever he is."

Danny purred quietly, settling down and looking up at Andrew as if to ask him why they weren't already loading up Randy's card with ridiculous things. It was possible he was projecting, but Andrew had done worse, so really, this was relatively harmless. It was the hope of who this cat could be that was tearing into him.

"Right. Government cat. I suppose that explains your strange behavior." Because even with Randy telling him that it should be normal, the way that cat responded to things… He had reminded Andrew to both fill and take his medications. A normal cat didn't do that unless specifically trained, and even then it was up in the air.

That was the thing, though. A normal cat _could_ conceivably do these things, and if it really was him then he would have changed back already. Andrew was just seeing hope where there was none and he needed to stop before it destroyed him. Right. Focus. Cat things. Cat… "I need to get you a litter box, don't I?" Andrew couldn't be certain, but it seemed as if Danny was giving him a very offended and horrified look.

"Right. Shopping." Pushing the cart forward, Andrew took a breath, and, right. Just focus on one thing at a time.

It took near two hours, but Andrew finally got everything he thought a cat would need, wincing at the cost and silently praying that Randy wouldn't be too upset or dramatic about it all. Getting all the bags and Danny home was another matter.

By the time he managed to struggle into his apartment it was near four in the afternoon and Andrew was hungry and on the edges of a sensory overload. He felt ready to fall to pieces and- "You look like a wreck."

" _Samantha_!" Screaming Sam's name at least stopped him from screaming in terror. "How many times have I told you to not break into-" Sam waved a box of take out in his face, Andrew snatching it and scurrying over to the couch. "I love you."

"I am rather amazing." Sam sat next to him on the couch with her own box, raising an eyebrow as Danny squirmed his way into Andrew's lap. "He's rather attached and bandaged."

"He had a rough past." Picking through the box with his chopsticks, Andrew picked out a piece of chicken and held it out to Danny, snorting when the cat snapped it up at once. "He's taken quite well to being a housecat, though."

"I can see that." Sam tucked her legs under her and ate her own food much more neatly and, honestly, how did she manage to use chopsticks so _well_? "Not even thinking about throwing him back into the streets?"

"I considered it, but the mangy thing would probably worm his way into someone else's home." Andrew fed Danny another bite of food, trying not to laugh when Danny ate it before nudging the carton towards Andrew more. "Yes, yes, I'm eating."

"He at least seems to like you." The two ate in peaceful silence before Sam ruined it. "Have you given any more thought to what we talked about last week?"

"I have given it thought, actually." Wait until she started to look hopeful, and… "For five seconds, then I decided that you must have been joking." Ah, an annoyed Sam was an amusing Sam.

"Andrew. You can't keep dealing with these problems on your own- You don't even talk to Randy about this! Talking to a psychologist might actually be able to help."

"I don't need help. I just need peace." He was content. He wouldn't ever be happy, but he was… It was fine. He was content. It wasn't a perfect life, but he was happy enough with where he was right now.

"And you think you can get peace like this? Running yourself ragged with as many credit hours as you can take during the school year and then working full time as soon as summer hits. You barely give yourself time to think."

"I've survived well enough this long." Eating a few bites, Andrew poked at his food and held out another bite for Danny. The cat seemed to stare for a moment before taking it and then settling down in Andrew's lap. Poor thing was probably exhausted. "I'm fine, Sam."

"No, you're not." Before he could argue, Andrew squirmed as he was lightly punched in the side. "That's okay, though. I don't think any of us are."

"No." Andrew gently ran his fingers through Danny's fur, quiet sigh forced out of him. "No, I don't think we are."

::

" _Wait for me!" Andrew bent over and braced his palms on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. He may have been older than the other three, but he wasn't all that fast._

" _Come on, Andy!" Glancing up to see the brilliant grin aimed at him, Andrew laughed and stood back up. "Just a bit more! We're almost there!"_

" _You don't even know where we're going!" The six of them had gone into the woods on one of their exploring adventures, but they had quickly gotten sidetracked by the river they found and wanted to follow. "You know we probably won't find a waterfall!"_

" _When we do then you owe me a cookie!" Laughing again, Andrew picked up his pace to catch up, stumbling when his foot caught on what seemed to be a root. Throwing himself to the side to avoid falling face first onto the ground, his eyes widened when he realized he had thrown himself to the_ _ **wrong**_ _side. "_ _ **Andrew**_ _!"_

 _Hitting the ground shoulder first, his breath was punched out of him when he was then enveloped by ice cold water. His thoughts seemed to vanish into pure panic, Andrew only aware that he was cold and it was winter and he was in a river and he couldn't swim that well and there was a current and he was cold and he_ _ **couldn't breathe**_ _-_

 _Something silky smooth brushed by him and Andrew latched on with everything in him, scared beyond all reason as he tried to kick for the surface. A sharp jerk and his head was above water and he was gasping for air and choking down and swallowing river water, unable to stop until he felt himself pulled to shore._

" _Andrew!" Feeling like he was ready to fall over as he coughed up what was no doubt the nastiest water he had ever tasted, Andrew glanced up to see his brother was holding him up, the others surrounding him and an equally wet Danny._

" _Maybe next time we'll avoid the river." The spitfire little thing was giving a shaking grin and had wide blue eyes and soaked black hair, but he was looking so relieved and_ _ **Danny**_ -

"No-!" Andrew startled, looking around and slowly dropping his arm from where it had been reaching out and… Right. Dreaming. He had been dreaming. Sucking in an unsteady breath, Andrew slowly dug himself out from under his covers and stumbled towards the bathroom, trying to keep himself calm. This wasn't the first time he had dreamt of the past and he had no misconceptions that this would be the last.

"Get it together." Danny was dead and gone and they would never see each other again. Thinking any differently would do nothing but tear him apart- Ah, hello there. "You couldn't sleep either, could you?" _This_ Danny gave a quiet meow, Andrew carefully picking him up and carrying him towards the living room. "I'm willing to bet you have your fair share of nightmares."

Animals may not think like humans, but growing up in cages and being cut into and tested on every day? That would leave mental scars on anyone, cat or not. "Poor thing. You've probably been through more than us all."

Danny made a soft noise that seemed like a halfhearted meow, Andrew chuckling as he sat down on the couch and bundled them up in a blanket before flipping the television on. "Mindless tv, I've found, is very good at distracting you from nightmares."

Snorting as the cat seemed utterly captivated by the cartoon that was on, Andrew shifted him into his lap and reached for the small plastic bag filled with the discharge papers Randy had given them. Most of it was rather simple - keep him off his feet, make sure no water got on the stitches, wet washcloths only if he needed a bath, and always have water available. There was only a mild pain tonic if Danny looked to be suffering, but Randy had been wary about giving him anything considering how beat up his system was.

"And he thinks I overly care about things," Andrew mumbled, knowing for a fact that there should not be this many- Hello, what was this. Tags? Dog tags- Well. Cat tags, he supposed. Flipping them over, Andrew raised an eyebrow at seeing his name, address, and phone number were already on them. "Cute."

Tugging out the hideous, neon green collar they had gotten at the pet store earlier that day, Andrew clipped the tags on and looked to where Danny was looking up at him curiously. "I know you probably won't like wearing this, but it has your tags on them. It'll tell people you have all your shots, are perfectly healthy, and they even have my address on them."

Danny sniffed at the tags, Andrew letting him as he held the collar out. "You won't like it, but this way, if you ever get lost or taken or something happens, you'll always have a way back here." There would always be a way for him to come back home. "That's- That's okay, isn't it? Do you think? To always have a way back?"

Danny gave one of his quiet meows, moving forward and resting his neck over the collar and looking up at Andrew expectantly. Andrew, more starteld than he wanted to admit, carefully clicked it into place before dropping his fingers down to rub at the tags that were disgustingly adorable and in the shape of a little cat head - ears included.

"It's not fair, you know." Five years. It had been five years and he had been through so much pain, and he had suffered so much, and he had paid for his sins day after day after _day_ and it _still fucking hurt_. "It's not fair that this still hurts so much."

Danny squirmed closer and Andrew frowned as a bandaged paw touched his cheek and oh- Oh. He was crying. Giving a shaky laugh, Andrew brushed his finger's across Danny's cheek. "Life's really not fair, petit chaton."

Time didn't heal all. It just made the pain an old friend.


	6. Chapter 6

Bonjour, mes chers! I hope you enjoy this extra long chapter and the knowledge that I now update on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with TCC getting updated on Mondays. Hopefully I can stick to the schedule this time!

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' _And I thought I was bad in the mornings._ ' Danny had thought that it was just the one morning Andrew was bad on, but it seemed it was a typical thing for him to try and throw his alarm clock out the window before shoving his head under the pillow. ' _Dude, you're so lucky you haven't lost your job before now._ '

Hoping up onto Andrew's bed, Danny took a moment to enjoy the soft, fuzzy blankets around him before moving a bit away and yowling at the top of his lungs. It was delightful to see Andrew _shriek_ before scrambling to sit up and only getting tangled in his blankets. He near fell off the bed before he caught himself, eyes wide as he stared at Danny.

' _Good morning._ ' Danny watched as Andrew stared for a solid five seconds before dropping his head and looking done with the world. It was wonderful.

"Hellcat. I adopted a hellcat into my home." Well. Danny wouldn't say _that_. Besides, Andrew had yet to be truly bitten or scratched. That was more than could be said for some of Danny's last 'owners.' "What did I do to earn God's wrath?"

' _Oh, stop being so dramatic. Come on, nerd, you have work, don't you? Hey, hey, take me with you. I don't wanna die of boredom_.' Danny chattered and chittered and made as many strange noises as he could, delighting in Andrew's strange and vaguely scared looks. It was even better when Andrew got annoyed and simply picked him up and set him on the bathroom counter to glare at him.

"I will drown you in that toilet bowl if you continue." Ha, as if. Andrew was a softy. That was easy to see and Danny had only known him for a few days. "Brat."

' _Nerd_.' Danny waited patiently as Andrew brushed and flossed, making a face at the taste of the the floss before starting to walk out. ' _You forgot your meds._ ' Standing as best he could, Danny pawed and batted at the bathroom cabinet until he managed to get the door cracked open.

"Oh, what are you doing now?" Dodging Andrew's hands, Danny ducked and nosed the door the rest of the way open, reaching for one of the pill bottles that Andrew had filled the other day. "Oh- Oh. Right."

' _What did you do before I came along? Seriously, I might need to bring home another stray cat to train before I leave._ ' Andrew took the bottles and got out the right dosage before swallowing with a bit of water from the sink. Putting them back up and closing the door, Danny happily let himself be picked up and carried to the kitchen counter.

"Right, then. Wet food or dry food?" How about neither? It wasn't that Danny was exactly picky, but… He was eating cat food. Did he need to eat cat food? He was pretty sure he could eat human food and be okay, but he had never been shifted this long before. Maybe cat food would be safer, for right now. "Your stomach says either, but your face says neither."

' _Anything in between, then?_ ' Danny crawled along the counter, watching as Andrew started digging around through the refrigerator before pulling out a bag full of what seemed to be cut up meat. Danny watched as he dumped it onto a plate before microwaving it, waiting half a minute before setting it down on the counter and grabbing a fork.

"If you tell Randy on me, you can consider our friendship over." Andrew speared some of the meat and ate a bite, Danny assuming that was so he didn't think it was poisoned.

' _You know, for thinking animals hate you, I bet you're really great with them._ ' Shifting forward, Danny sniffed before taking a bite and oh. Oh, man. This was- This was _great_.

"Sausage links. It has to be better than whatever you had when you were locked up, more so than what you found in the streets, too."

' _You're my favorite, right now._ ' At least if Danny was stuck acting like a pet, he got the man who would spoil him rotten. Danny might feel a little bad about that, but, really. He deserved to rest and be spoiled for a _little_ bit.

Danny made sure Andrew ate a few more bites before letting him get ready for work, Danny watching and eating as Andrew tripped and stumbled all over while getting dressed, looking for his things, drinking coffee, and trying to pick up whatever he knocked over. It was actually surprising how the man didn't have _more_ bruises.

' _Seriously, I hope you know I'm going to work with you, today. There's no way I'm being left behind to be bored to death when I'm all patched up and ready to go._ ' Okay, so he couldn't really shift until these stitches came out, but still! Pretty much okay! ' _Where do you even work? A bookstore? I bet you work somewhere with books._ '

"Alright, you stay here, stay out of trouble, and try not to get yourself caught." Andrew didn't even get a hand on the doorknob before Danny was making as loud a racket as he could because _no_ , that was not the plan, today. "Oh, for the love of- I can't take you to work! Pets aren't allowed at work!"

' _Aw, come on! I'm injured and cute and pathetic! As long as you don't work with food, I think we'll probably be okay!_ ' Danny jumped off the counter, hissing at the pain in his paws and jarred back and ow, ow, ow, stupid plan, stupid- Oh, he was being picked up, now.

"You troublesome brat." Andrew was giving him a quick look over, rubbing at one of his paws before sighing and nudging him to rest on top of the bag at his side. Danny happily went, settling down and while the bag was stupid, he supposed it was useful. "If I get sent home because of you, we will be having words."

' _Weakling_.' It did make Danny feel better that they were going together, though. After that jump, he had a feeling that he could very easily do something stupid. It was better to stick close to someone who could bail him out of trouble, if nothing else. ' _Now come on. I don't have to worry about being found, my wounds are healing, and I promised to help you before I left. I need to see what I'm working with, here._ '

"I feel like you're mocking me," Andrew grumbled, resting a hand over Danny so he didn't fall, which was hilariously cute, and heading out of his apartment. "Not a sound."

Danny stayed quiet and watched with amusement as Andrew dodged everyone in the building, ducking into alcoves and shadows when he had to before finally getting free. Andrew looked proud and Danny was trying not to laugh, but, really. That was just- That was definitely something.

' _Come on, nerd, show me where you work._ ' Half an hour later, maybe more, maybe less, and Danny was looking up at the _library_ they were walking into and oh. Oh, man. That- ' _You are the nerdiest nerd to ever nerd._ ' A library. The book obsessed nerd with more books than apartment worked in a _library_. This was great.

Right. Curling up, Danny did his best to be small and cute. It was time to go on reconnaissance and see just what he could help Andrew with. Plus, it might be nice to learn a little more about the man who had saved his life.

::

After an hour watching Andrew, Danny figured that it was the man's social life that needed the most help. It had been an hour and he had barely said hello to any of his co-workers and it seemed the people who came into the small library were afraid to go near him, which, yeah. Danny couldn't blame them too much for that one. Andrew could glare very well when he was trying to read a book or work on the computer.

He was great at convincing people of things, though. Ten minutes talking with the manager and owner and he had spun a very sad tale about Danny being a family cat who had gotten into a horrible accident. Everyone else was too busy to give him the care he needed and this cat… Andrew had _grown up_ with this cat. He couldn't leave him to fend for himself.

Danny almost believed the story by the time he was done, and the owner looked near tears. It helped when Danny had mewed sadly, whining and looking in as much pain as possible. Andrew has snickered as soon as she was gone and gave Danny a scratch behind the ears.

' _Do you just glare at people all day until you can go home and read even more books?_ ' There had to be some way to get Andrew to interact with people at work. Mm. Danny couldn't exactly talk and get people over there, but… Maybe he could do something to get them to _stay_ there so Andrew would be _forced_ to interact with them. Ha! And Vlad said he never had any good plans.

Walking to the edge of the table Andrew was working at, Danny jumped down as carefully as he could. A quick check - a little sore, but alright - and Danny went off in search of one of Andrew's co-workers. It didn't take too long to track down the breakroom, Danny wiggling his way inside before making as many scared and confused noises as he could.

It took roughly three seconds for two girls to swarm him, one picking him up and the other clucking and cooing over him. "Poor thing, how did you get in here?"

"Trish, look. He's all bandaged up. Do you think he belongs to one of the patrons?" Danny whined and whimpered, looking scared as he looked between the two and oh, this was perfect. "Poor thing."

"We should find his owner. Let me find Beth and we'll make the announcement-"

"Hold on, wait, isn't that Andrew's cat?" A man who had been trying to eat craned his head over at them, giving a slow nod. "Yeah- Yeah, Marlene said Andrew brought his family cat in where he was an accident recently."

"Andrew has a cat?" The girl who wasn't holding him paused, picking up his tags and oh, right, tags. Those were turning out to be useful, weren't they? "Wow, Andrew has a cat. Must have wandered off."

"He should be out at the reference desk." Trish adjusted her hold on him, Danny squirming a little as the girls left the breakroom.

' _Uh, guys, it's called support? How can you not know how to hold a cat? This isn't all that comfortable, you know. Andrew is way better at this, you know._ ' Danny huffed as his words went unheard, as always.

"Looks like Andrew noticed his cat is gone." Following the gazes, Danny looked over to where Andrew was looking around with wide, frantic eyes, and oh, jeez.

' _Sorry, Andrew, didn't think you'd notice that quick._ ' Danny gave a loud meow, Andrew's gaze snapping over to him before he _slumped_. He then glared and oh, jeez, that wasn't going to be fun.

"Trish. Taylor. I see you found the furball I'm going to use as dart practice later." Danny jumped out of Trish's arms and straight into Andrew's, pleased when Andrew caught him at once and rubbed at his neck. "Where did you find him?"

"Poor little guy wandered into the breakroom." The girls followed Andrew back to his desk, Danny squirming his way out of Andrew's arms and acting cute and sweet. The girls were cooing and petting him at once. Perfect.

' _Now talk, you nerd. People need social interaction to live. I think._ ' His plan worked perfectly because the girls were engaging Andrew in conversation at once, Danny delighted to see Andrew was nodding and chatting with them easily, even smiling every once in a while.

Maybe Andrew was just really shy and pretended to be cold and sarcastic so he didn't have to embarrass himself trying to talk to people? If it was just shyness, then Danny could at least help him get over it a little. For now, it seemed Andrew was enjoying himself.

Danny was able to repeat his disappearing trick three more times with three different co-workers before they left, learning that Andrew really did keep to himself when he worked most days. It seemed everyone had been surprised that Andrew had even talked to them at all.

' _See? Work can be pretty okay when you enjoy it, right?_ ' Danny looked up to Andrew as they walked out, frowning when he saw that Andrew's smile was finally gone, the man looking tired and a little stressed. ' _Andrew?_ '

"That was far too many people to deal with," Andrew sighed softly, hugging Danny close and oh. Oh. "Maybe next time I'll leave you at home, petit chaton. You attract far too much attention."

' _Right. Got it. Act. You were just acting like you were enjoying all the talk. Jeez, are you like Vlad? Vlad hates dealing with people for too long. He says they're too loud and too much._ ' If he was like Vlad in any way, then that meant he only had a few people he liked talking to and random people at work were not it.

Alright, so that had been a bad plan, but Danny could make it better! He seemed to like Sam and Tucker well enough, so maybe Danny could get Andrew to talk to one of them to cheer him up.

' _Sorry about the library, but don't worry, I'll fix it. I mean, not like I can make it any worse, right?_ ' A moment of thought, Danny tilting his head. ' _Then again… Yeah, no, we'll just go with don't worry about it for now._ '

"Come on, Danny. Let's go home."

::

' _You know, this place really isn't so bad._ ' Danny hadn't really had the time to look at the apartment building Andrew lived in before, but looking at it now… The only way he could describe it would be if it was a building taken from an English fairytale. ' _Stands out a bit, doesn't it?_ '

Andrew looked pleased to be home, tension bleeding out of him as they got closer to the brick building- Which, wasn't that a surprise. Instead of wood or metal or steel or glass like all the other buildings around them, this one was made of warm, red bricks that were absolutely _covered_ in vines and leaves. Half the windows were covered by the things and the other half were filled with flowers, books, or pillows.

The front yard looked to have been totally abandoned to the wilds, Danny seeing grass and flowers and weeds left to grow however they wanted. The apartment building was shoved up against a concrete wall, it seemed, and there was no space to either of the sides due to the high-rise buildings next to it. It was like a little slice of _something_ tucked away in the middle of the city. Danny loved it.

' _I can see why everyone thinks the landlady is a witch, you know. How did she even get a building this big- Oh, hey, is that Sam!_ ' Danny jumped up onto Andrew's shoulders, and raised himself up high, spotting Sam over the low brick wall that seperated wildlands and sidewalk.

Jumping off of Andrew's shoulders and ignoring the reprimand, Danny landed on the wall with only a small wobble before he was jumping into the grass and oh, man. He could have fun pouncing at people and attacking ankles from here. "Seriously? You took him to work?"

"He's injured, Samantha, of course I'm going to keep an eye on him." Andrew huffed and climbed over the wall, Danny easily crawling through the grass and tucking himself out of sight. "I'm not that irresponsible."

"Mm. How did your boss like that one, then? Or did you turn up the charm and convince her that he was an old family pet." Wow. She was good. Really, there had to be something if they knew each other _that_ well. "Ridiculous."

"She bought it." Peeking up through the grass, Danny saw that Andrew was looking in the wrong direction as he searched for him. This was great. "Planting poisonous flowers again?"

"The first time was a mistake." First? "And no, not this time. I thought I would plant a few sunflower seeds and then I ended up rescuing the plants that were suffering under the 'care' of the supermarket I was at."

Poking his nose out through the grass, Danny blinked at the cleared section that seemed to function as a miniature garden. Sam was wearing thick gloves and a wide-brimmed sun hat to keep the sun out of her eyes, trowel in hand as she dug out spots for her flowers.

"You lost him, didn't you?" Sam was smiling and looking amused, streaks of dirt near covering her. She made it look good, somehow.

"I did not lose him!" Andrew seemed to be chasing something besides Danny, which, really, that did not surprise him. There were probably lots of small critters in this mini forest. "He's just very good at hiding."

"Is that so?" Ah, Sam was looking at him. "I'm sure you'll find him, Andrew." Oh, Danny liked this one.

' _You'll be good for him- I mean, you already are, I bet._ ' Jumping out of the grass, Danny walked over to where Sam was digging. Measuring a few plots away, Danny began digging up dirt so another flower could be planted. ' _I heard gardening is supposed to be good, or something. Vlad said he liked it. He used to grow some things in the labs, sometimes, but they usually died._ '

"Well, aren't you sweet." Sam watched until she was gently nudging him away, Danny taking a step back and watching her drop a few seeds in. "Want to put the dirt back?"

' _Can do_.' Jumping forward, Danny began kicking and pushing the dirt in, pleased when he actually managed it. ' _Ha, and Vlad said I'd never have the grace for gardening._ '

"Hey, Andrew, I think I found a new gardening buddy." Sam called, Danny moving onto the next spot as Andrew walked over to them, looking slightly spooked. "What'd you find?"

"I think it was a rat." Jesus. This guy really did need help, didn't he? "Since when do cats know how to garden?"

"Since when do you know how to take care of living creatures?" Sam shot back, Danny laughing as best he could as she dropped in more seeds. "Should I worry about the world ending?"

"Ha, ha, you're hilarious, truly. We'll save that worry for when Tucker finally regains common sense and quits that double major of his. Even _I_ am not that bad."

"I know, I know," Sam groaned, working on planting a wilted, sad looking bunch of flowers. "I keep telling him that he's going to kill himself, at this rate, but he won't listen!"

"When does Tucker listen to anyone?" Andrew moved to sit on the low brick wall, Danny glancing up at him. "Must you play in the dirt of all things?" Danny gave as cute a meow as he could to spite him. "Maybe we can sabotage him."

"Let's wait. He said he was thinking about taking summer classes." Waiting for Sam to drop the seeds in, Danny took the time to look between them. Andrew was the most relaxed he had been all day, small smile on his face as he watched them and oh, they _so_ had a thing going on. "Alright, Danny, last hole."

' _I'm on it!_ ' He probably shouldn't be having so much fun playing in dirt, but, well. After years and years of sterile environments, being able to dig in the dirt was _amazing_.

"You should probably wash that dirt off of him before he gets any in his wounds, when you go up. Washcloth?"

"Randy said no baths, so I suppose so." Andrew stood up with a sigh. "Alright, you brat, come on."

' _Hold on, hold on, I have to cover the seeds, jeez._ ' Patting the dirt down as best he could, Danny nodded and walked over to Andrew and oh- Oh, he just had the best idea.

"Honestly, you're corrupting him." As Andrew walked forward, Danny bounced up to wind between his legs and if he could time this just right… "What are you-" Andrew cut himself off with a yelp as he fell forward, Danny scrambling out of the way and mentally cheering in victory as he fell right on top of Sam.

The two were barely a few inches away and staring right into each other's eyes, Danny expecting to feel a sense of triumph, except… Except he didn't. He felt like he wanted to _stop_ what might happen next and it wasn't right and Andrew was _his_ \- Oh, Sam was laughing. That hadn't been the plan.

Andrew blushed and stuttered as he rolled off of her, Sam still laughing and getting even louder when Andrew started complaining about the dirt on his coat. Danny huffed, sitting down and shifting from paw to paw.

' _That didn't work, then._ ' That should have worked, though. Maybe they just needed to spend some more time together to see what was there? Mm. On that matter, though, why had he been so upset? He was _trying_ to get them together! He… He wanted them together and Andrew happy, didn't he?

"Alright, you." Oh, dear. Danny barely had time to whine before Andrew was picking him up, nose wrinkling. "Congratulations. You've earned the reward of a sponge bath."

' _Fine, fine. You're lucky I'm not a normal cat._ ' Right. This was about making Andrew happy. Danny could do that. He just needed to focus on that. Right. Focus. ' _You're going to end up ruining my plans, aren't you?_ '

Andrew looked down to Danny, rubbing at a paw and coming away with dirt on his fingers. The man sighed and shook his head, small smile appearing on his face. "You're going to end up ruining all my plans, aren't you?"

Okay, no, seriously, what the _fuck_. Why was it that out of everyone in the world, it was this nerdy bookworm that seemed to _always know_ what Danny was thinking. That- That wasn't normal, was it? "Come on, petit chaton, let's get you cleaned up."

' _I have a lot left to learn about you, don't I?_ ' Well. At least this was going to be interesting.

::

Danny spent the next two days curled up in Andrew's window seat and soaking up as much sun as possible, only really leaving when Andrew was available as a better pillow or he had to use the bathroom - thankfully, the litter had been gotten rid of early on and Andrew didn't bother to question too deeply why Danny knew how to use a toilet. Danny was thankful for that. While he was ecstatic to be free and adjusting to the fact he _was_ free, he wasn't a complete idiot. That, and he was pretty sure Vlad would find a way to kill him if he overdid it and didn't let himself heal.

Vlad… Danny had been keeping an eye and ear out for the news, but there was nothing to indicate whatever had happened. Danny could only hope that Vlad was alright. A little beat up, maybe, but alright. He intended to find out once things settled down, but Danny wouldn't be doing either of them any favors if he tried to rush back to help and ended up getting caught.

He couldn't focus on the impossible right now, but he _could_ accomplish the possible- Or, really, more like _pawsible_.

Danny couldn't wait until he could shift back and have normal conversations with other humans because his humor was starting to worry even him. Right, mission to do.

' _You know, for once it's a good thing you sleep in on your days off._ ' It was Danny's first Saturday with Andrew and he had a plan to not only get more information on him, but to force him to spend a bit more time with his friends, as well. ' _If you don't want me to leave the apartment, say something now._ '

Waiting a few seconds, Danny nodded and jumped off the bed, heading for the front door. ' _Enjoy sleeping in, Andy._ ' Now, time to find out just who Andrew Riter really was and why he seemed to understand Danny so well.

A quick fight with the door and Danny was heading up to the fourth and final floor, intent on finding the landlady, first. Hopefully seeing a cute and injured cat would let him stay without getting Andrew in any trouble.

It was surprising, though, how many apartments there seemed to be. There seemed to be at least two or three people on each floor- Ah, the fourth floor seemed to be only one apartment. Okay, that was still six or nine people in the building. Pretty decent considering the size.

"Ah. Andrew's cat." Oh. That was quick. The landlady - Vidya? - stared down at him before sighing and kneeling down. "You've been causing him quite the amount of trouble, haven't you?" Oh, jeez, act cute, Fenton. "Good boy."

' _I think I'm going to like you. So, any dirty gossip or rumors to share with me about Andrew? Please say yes._ ' Danny squirmed a little as he was picked up and oh, okay, he was being carried to what seemed like Vidya's apartment and whoa. Danny thought _Andrew_ had a lot of purple. This was ridiculous. ' _So, uh, favorite color?_ '

"I'll return you to him once I get his rent money." Ah, jeez, a crazy one. She was at least gentle when she set him down, scratching his head in just the right way. "Although you are rather cute. Perhaps I'll just steal you for myself."

' _I think he might fight you on that one, you know. Plus, I have tags to prove I'm his- No, wait, that came out wrong- Oh, jeez, being a pet is hard._ ' He was going to have to do his best to forget this time in his life.

"He actually managed to get you to wear tags?" Vidya picked one of them up lightly, inspecting them before frowning. "Danny… That's the boy that died, isn't it?"

' _Whoa, whoa, what? I was named after a dead kid?_ ' That was- Jeez, that was just depressing. ' _Come on, be the witch people think you are and tell me more, here!_ '

"I thought he was getting over that." Vidya sat down beside him, still holding the tags. "Oh, the poor thing. We've all heard the story, of course, Andrew pushed out of the way of an oncoming truck and his friend taking the hit for him. I just didn't think… It was so many years ago that happened. It was all over the news, you know."

' _Jeez, no wonder Andy has so many problems. I'd be pretty fucked up, too, if some kid died in my place._ ' Andrew probably blamed himself for that Danny's death judging by how he acted. And then he went and gave him the kid's name without knowing it was his name, too. ' _Definitely not over it, I think._ '

"Well. Maybe you can just help him think of a different Danny, now." That… That seemed just as bad, though. "You know… I think I have something for you."

' _You do?_ ' Danny watched as Vidya stood up and went into a different room, Danny starting to worry when he heard crashing sounds and small grunts and should… Should he help? Maybe? It seemed like he might should help- Oh. Okay. She was fine. ' _You alright?_ '

"Found it!" Vidya was holding something purple, which, really, that didn't tell him much- Oh. It… It was a very tiny sweater. "It's a cat sweater! Isn't it cute?"

' _I, uh, I guess? Wait, you're not_ -' Okay, crazy cat lady was putting the sweater on him. Danny kind of wanted to hiss, but he didn't want to get Andrew in trouble, and, really, Andrew could always- Holy shit.

"There. Now don't you look handsome." The sweater seemed to be made of super soft yarn that had been worn down over years of use. It was baggy, warm, and wrapped around him like a hug- Okay, that last one made him feel stupid to even think, but holy shit it was the best thing ever.

' _I think you're my favorite, right now_.' He had promised himself that when he escaped he would wear the biggest, warmest, softest sweater he could find, but, well. He kind of thought he would be human, at that point. ' _I guess beggars can't be picky, or something._ ' It really was a nice sweater.

"Now, don't you worry about cost. I'll deduct the price of that sweater from Andrew's rent." This woman was evil. No wonder Andrew rented from her.

' _Right. Thanks. Got it. Hey, thanks for the information, too._ ' Andrew blamed himself for the death of a kid he had been friends with. Danny needed a bit more, but it was a good start.

A knock on the door seemed to startle them both, Danny jumping to the floor as Vidya opened the door and oh. It was Andrew- He was awake without Danny screaming at him?

"Vidya, hi- Hello. Good morning. I know this might sound like a very odd and incriminating question, but have you seen a small black cat with blue eyes?" Aw, he noticed Danny was missing and had come to find him. That was sweet.

"I suppose that depends on whether or not you have your rent money." Snickering as Vidya scared Andrew into an early grave, Danny carefully snuck past them and took to the stairs. If he remembered correctly, then Sam should be on the second floor and Tucker on the first. He'd check on Tucker before Sam. Sam, at least, he knew was alive. Tucker probably wasn't if all that talk of double majors and summer classes was true.

Taking his time getting down the stairs - because going down the stairs head first was terrifying - Danny took a moment to remember which door was Tucker's before walking over to it and meowing as loudly as he could. When that didn't do anything, Danny started scratching at the door, as well.

' _Seriously, dude, what do I have to do to get you to- Oh, there you are._ ' Danny looked up at a grumpy looking Tucker, and, wow. He looked half dead. ' _Should I call for help?_ '

"Cat. There's a cat in a sweater at my door. Why is there- Black cat. Cool. Andrew's cat." Danny craned his neck, flashing his tags and these were actually proving to be pretty useful, weren't they? "Cool. Okay. Andrew's cat at my door. Want to come in, Andrew's cat?"

' _You know, my name is on these tags, here. I'm also pretty sure Andrew told you my name, but you were kind of dying when we first met. I mean, seriously, I thought you died._ ' Danny walked in and stared at the state of the room and, yeah, wow. This- Wow. ' _And I thought Andrew's place was a wreck with all those books everywhere._ '

"Uh, do you- Do you eat? Like- Do you eat human food?" Oh, man, this was both sweet and also very worrying.

' _Seriously, do you need help? You seem like you need a lot of help- Like, a_ _ **lot**_ _of help._ ' He at least seemed to be functioning, though. That was something.

"I'm going to take that as a yes, but I don't have any human food. Just raman." Oh, man. Danny was feeling sorry for this kid more and more by the second. "So, I'm just gonna- I'm gonna go sit back on my couch over there. You can sit with me if you want."

' _Thanks_.' Danny followed after Tucker, picking his way across the floor and trying not to step in anything that would ruin his bandages. Once they were on the couch, Danny braced his paws on Tucker's legs and looked at him as seriously as he could. ' _Now, tell me about Andrew and this other Danny kid._ '

"Uh, weird devil cat? Can you not kill me? I haven't even begun to pay off my student loans." Tucker looked honestly scared of him for a few seconds before pausing and staring at his tags. "Oh, right. He named you Danny. Jeez, I can't believe it's still this bad."

' _You've been his friend awhile, right? Did you know this Danny kid, too?_ ' Danny watched as Tucker sighed, collapsing back into the couch.

"I mean, it's been five years, you know?" Ye… Yeah. Five years. "I mean- I get it. We were all friends and we all spent time together, but it was like- It was _Danny and Andrew_ , you know? Those two, for as different as they were, were the closest of friends. It's no wonder Danny's death hit Andrew the hardest."

' _Not just a friend, then, but a best friend… And he died to save Andrew._ ' This was bad, wasn't it? Ooh, what did Danny get himself into.

"We all thought he was getting over it and then, you know, he names you Danny- I mean, it's not a bad name, mind you, but the fact he named _you_ that name." That- Wait, what? How did that change things? "We knew it was bad, but we didn't think it was this bad."

' _So he lost his best friend named Danny five years ago._ ' Five years ago it seemed a lot had happened. Bad year to be a Danny, he guessed. ' _But why-_ '

"Tucker?" There was a knock on the door, Andrew pushing it open and looking around with a face of disgust. "Haven't we told you to _clean_ in here?"

' _Oh, great timing, Andy. You can spend some time with Tucker. I still need to talk to Sam, anyways._ ' Jumping off the couch, Danny used the trash and clutter to hide himself as he walked to where Andrew was still in the doorway.

"Wha- It's cleaner than it was!" That wasn't saying much. "Why are you even here- Why are you awake? You're never awake before _noon_ on your days off!"

"I was bullied out of my hard earned money." Oh, Vidya finally got the rent, then. "Someone also said they heard horrible screeching and yowling near your door, so I came to get Danny back."

' _So sweet_.' Danny slipped past Andrew and silently bounded up the stairs, and, right. Sam's door should be around her- This one had the scent of dirt and grass and plants. Definitely Sam's, he was willing to bet. ' _Saaam! I need to talk to you!_ '

Danny barely had to meow before Sam was opening her door and looking down at him. "Hey there, gardening buddy. Did you send Andrew into a panic looking for you?"

' _Maybe just a little_.' Danny purred, hopping into the apartment and pleased when Sam didn't try to kick him out. ' _You're the nicest._ '

"Nice sweater. Let me guess. Vidya got to you?" Yeaaah. It _was_ a nice sweater, though! "Well, at least you don't seem too upset by it. I'm afraid I don't have any holes for you to dig right now, either."

' _That's fine. You can just give me some information, instead._ ' Following Sam through her very nice and orderly apartment, Danny cut her off in her path. ' _Start talking, Sam. What do you know about the missing Danny?_ '

"And just what are you being so dramatic about?" Sam picked him up easily before setting him on the counter, Danny huffing. It wasn't as fun being picked up when _everyone_ did it. "Oh, Danny, what are we going to do with you…"

' _Aha! You're not thinking about me Danny, are you?_ ' That was a clear look of sadness and mourning. The only thing he had left to figure out was if Andrew could move on from this.

"He never did get better." Sam was playing with his tags, no doubt reading _his_ name. "Everyone kept saying to give it time and that he was improving, but… It was like cutting him in half. Andrew was never Andrew again without Danny there."

' _So he loved the kid, basically._ ' That… That would make sense. That would make sense if Andrew _loved_ this Danny - like, _loved_ loved him. ' _No wonder he's so closed off and drawn in._ ' That also explained every look he was given when he told them Danny's name. ' _Shit. That's gonna be a bit harder to fix, Sammy, unless you can really woo him._ '

" _There_ you are." Shit. Andrew was standing in Sam's doorway with Tucker looking slightly fearful behind him. Andrew had probably lectured him on losing an injured cat. "You have had me running up and down this entire apartment."

' _Hey, you chose to follow me, I didn't do anything about that. Have fun talking with your friends, though?_ ' Danny grinned as he was snagged by his sweater, Andrew being careful as he tugged him up. ' _Like it?_ '

"Where did you get this hideous- Vidya. Of course she would. No wonder rent was so expensive this month. Alright, you, let's get this off of you-" Oh, apparently Danny was very attached to the sweater because he was hissing before he even realized it. All of them were silent before Andrew finally sighed and released the sweater. "You look like an idiot, but I suppose that I at least have something to grab onto when you try to run away, now."

' _Sorry, didn't mean to hiss that much. It's just really soft and warm, you know?_ ' Danny gave Andrew's hand a little bump, pleased at seeing the man's smile.

"You know, Andrew, since you're here, maybe you'd like to watch a movie with me and Tuck." Oh? Movie? Danny liked movies! Hopping down, Danny ran over to the couch, climbing up and sitting patiently in front of Sam's very nice and large television set. "See? Danny's even joining us, today!"

"You probably bribed him with expensive cat treats." Andrew looked as if he were walking to his execution as he sat on the very edge of the couch. Tucker was sitting beside him in a flash, Sam smug as she grabbed a remote.

' _Don't worry, she didn't bribe me. I just know that she'd win in a fight._ ' Danny crawled into Andrew's lap, wishing he could _really_ laugh as Andrew made a noise of disgust at feeling the sweater instead of Danny's fur.

The disgusted and disgruntled look soon faded for one of relaxed joy, Danny patting himself on the back for a job well done in getting the fussy nerd to relax. It was kind of amazing that he was adjusting so well. Vlad made it seem like Danny would be jumping at every little thing, but this was great! This- It was good.

It made Danny wonder what would happen when it all went wrong. It was too perfect, and things never stayed perfect for long in his life. He knew he should be finding his family. Jack, Maddie, and Jazz Fenton, but just a bit longer playing pretend wouldn't hurt anyone.

Right?


End file.
